


Tension and Relief

by PorcelainLove



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Accidental Touching, Choking, Excess worrying, Gladio is precious, Ignis is scary when pressed, M/M, Massage, Minor Violence, Pining, Realizations, Sexytimes, Showers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-02-15 15:06:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13033716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainLove/pseuds/PorcelainLove
Summary: During the day, Gladio works as Shield to Prince Noctis, future King and royal pain in the butt.  Said lovingly, of course.When he has free time, however, Gladio moonlights as a masseur for the rich and famous of Insomnia.  They are both rewarding in their own ways.He's never had any problem separating his work and personal lives before.Until now.--Chapter 13 is rated E--





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ginia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginia/gifts).



> I suck at chaptered fics because I always lose focus and start writing other stories. Hopefully posting this will get my ass in gear.
> 
> To any and all who choose to read this fic despite not knowing when it will be complete: I love you all! xoxo

Business was slow tonight at The Midnight Garden, the best and worst kept secret in the heart of Insomnia’s Red Light district.  Made famous through word of mouth alone, the building was nondescript and plain, with relatively few windows and an overabundance of entryways.

It was a massage parlor for the rich and famous and doubled as a judgement-free space, a veritable treasure trove for those men and women too powerful to afford to let their personal business see the light of day, but too overburdened not to share.  There was a strict confidentiality clause between clients and workers.  There were rules that were made to be followed, not broken: one wrong move on either party’s end and they were out on the streets with nothing to protect themselves.

It helped that almost all the staff were blind and the massage rooms were kept pitch black at all times.

It also helped that it was made clear that the staff were in charge.  If they were uncomfortable, the client was gone.  If they felt pressured into something they weren’t comfortable with, the client was gone. 

There were only two sighted employees.

Clover, her real name although it fit with the parlor’s character well enough, was in charge of vetting potential clients and making sure the rules were understood.  After all, the clients needed their escape from reality more than the staff needed to suffer assholes.  Clover also had an active social media presence and was kept well aware of all the phonies attempting to scout out the location for a sizzling editorial.  She took good care of the clients, and everyone liked her polite yet tough as nails demeanor.

The other all-seeing one was Gladiolus Amicitia, Shield to the future King. 

Gladio hated it when business was slow.  It wasn’t like he was doing this job for the money, hell, his family was loaded and he could probably spend all day, every day training and still never worry about digging for change in the couch cushions. 

This job helped him relax, as odd as that sounded.  After dealing with the higher ups and their tight asses (in all the worst ways) it was really nice to work with some people who genuinely appreciated his talents.  That, and Gladio really liked making people feel good.

Years of training had helped Gladio perfect his own body, know the weaknesses and strengths, and learn the best ways to come down from anything from an adrenaline high to a gods-damn blood-filled rage.  He also knew pressure points and how to turn even the most anal of tight-asses into puddles of goo. 

He had mad skills and it was nice to put them to use in a less violent setting.

There was a pleasant melody playing in the background of the staff room where Gladio sat and waited for his next client.  If there was going to be one.  He tended to come in sporadically, his day job never allowing him to create a proper schedule for the evening’s activities, so unfortunately while all the other members on staff knew when they’d be working next, Gladio relied on walk-ins.

A bell tinkled in the distance and Gladio shot to his feet, fingers itching for a chance to earn their keep.  He couldn’t see out, unfortunately, because if he could see the client, there was a great chance that they might also see him.  That would be disastrous in many ways.  No, it was better to wait it out, as much as Gladio disliked inaction.  He heard Clover’s low voice greet someone and then lead them to a sitting room, her ankle charms innocently tinkling all the way. 

The anklet wasn’t just a decorative piece of musical jewelry, it was also used as a sign of distress.  With less desirable people trying to infiltrate the Garden every now and then, it was pertinent that the first line of defense had a way of contacting others without making a scene.  

Once a client was in the building and with Clover, she always found reason to move her legs to generate the noise.  No jingle for over a minute meant reinforcements needed to be called.  Frantic tinkling meant to get the fuck out of the back room and help her  _ now. _

Thankfully they had never needed to go that far but there was always someone on break just in case. 

Gladio kept his ears tuned to the front room nonetheless.  If Clover was meeting with the client instead of bringing them back to a prearranged room, it meant they had no appointment.  

Which meant Gladio was finally going to get some work.

He stretched his neck and stood up, tightening his hands into fists until the sinews popped.  The wait was almost over.  He could hear the bells move closer and if he held his breath, he could make out two voices.

“I do hope you will enjoy your time here tonight.  Your references are impeccable. I, for one, would be overjoyed to keep you as a client.” Clover, all business.  She sounded sure and calm but get a few drinks in her and she had a mouth like a sailor. 

“You are too kind.”  The voice was masculine and quiet, almost embarrassed at the minuscule praise.  And Gladio felt his eyebrows raise in interest.  It was uncommon for someone who sounded almost shy to visit their establishment.

“You’re in luck tonight, as a matter of fact.  We have two rooms available.” Gladio’s eyebrows shot up at that.  Someone must have cancelled at the last minute. Damn, and he was hoping for a chance to relieve his boredom.

Clover continued. “This is room 7, also known as Amaranth.  The other is room 4, Iris.  Do you have any preference?”

There was a pause as the client mulled his choices. “… I was hoping for a male masseuse, actually.  If that’s not too much trouble.”

“Not at all, as a matter of fact both Yarrow and Phlox are men, and equally capable.”

“Hmm. I have an acquaintance named Iris, actually.  I’ll go with that room.” There was a light chuckle from the client and Gladio could have sworn he’d heard it before.

“Excellent choice.  Phlox is in charge of that room, I’ll let him know you’re here.  Please enter and remove your clothing.  Lie on the bed when you’re ready and your masseuse will be in after a few minutes.”

There was a faint click and moments later Clover entered the back room.  She saw Gladio standing at the entrance and laughed.  Like everything else about her, it was calm and beautiful.

“You’ve got a client, Phlox.”  Clover actually did know Gladio’s real name, but she was much too professional to reveal it to anyone, even the rest of the staff.  “It’s his first time so go easy on him.  He’s cute, I’d rather he come back soon and often if you get my drift.”  She winked.

And Gladio did. Clover had a type.  Tall and slim, with glasses and a mild temperament.  Male or female, she had no preference.  Gladio was happy that neither of them fit the other’s type: he loved his job, add unrequited attraction to the mix was just asking for trouble.

“Yeah, yeah, keep it in your pants.” He joked, nudging her out of the way with a gentle press of his shoulder. “This one’s mine, remember?”

“Only for the next hour!” Clover shot back, one of her rare brilliant smiles breaking out across her face like the full moon on a cloudy night.

Gladio chuckled to himself as he headed to his room and knocked on the door twice.  Clover had a girlfriend but that didn’t stop her from having a good time at work.  She was just as much an outrageous flirt as he was and that was probably why they were drawn to each other like flies to honey.

“Come in!”  The words were slightly muffled through the door but Gladio pushed inside without a word, trying to ignore how familiar the voice sounded.

The room wasn’t pitch black, but it was close enough that most clients never knew the difference.  Gladio didn’t have his coworkers’ abilities to move in the darkness as gracefully as spirits, sadly.  But he liked to hope he was a little less ‘titanic’ than when he first started.

He let his feet fall a little heavier, however, because this was the client’s first time and he probably didn’t know how things went. 

Gladio turned on some classical music and was about to clean his hands when that quiet voice broke through the melody.

“Would silence be possible instead?  I don’t wish to be a burden but if you play music I’ll just be wracking my brain for the name and composer and would be unable to relax.”  There was a wry chuckle and Gladio rolled his eyes good-naturedly and switched off the music.

That sounded exactly like something Ignis would say.  He always mentioned being unable to turn off his brain even when trying to unwind.

…Wait.  No, that sounded  _ exactly _ like something Ignis would say.  Like, down to the very timber and tone of voice.

Wait. A. Fucking. Minute.

Gladio felt his breathing quicken.  His eyes sought out the unmoving form in the darkness and even though he knew it was impossible to see anything other than the vaguest of shapes, he could have sworn…

There was a shuffle and the client pushed his face up and off the bed so he could be heard.  

“My arms are very stiff, would it be an imposition to ask you to focus on those first?”

Gladio knew why those arms were stiff.  It was because earlier that very day he had been sparring and had thrown and pinned his partner to the ground.  He had grasped those muscular wrists in his hands and tightened his grip until the practice blades fell from weakened fingers and his opponent yielded.  Gladio had looked down at that flushed face, those parted lips, that drop of sweat coasting down a temple…

…and had beat a hasty retreat to the locker room, calling out some excuse over his shoulder.  He couldn’t very well say he had to leave because he was hard as Bahamut’s heart and wanted to cover those perfect lips with his own.

Yeah, Gladio knew all of this because the man he had sparred with that day was the Prince’s advisor, just as close if not closer to the royal family than he was.

The same man lying on the table in front of him, waiting for a reply.

Ignis Scientia.

_ Fuck. _


	2. Chapter 2

Gladio didn’t know what to say, or even if he should talk.  He had recognized Ignis from his voice so quickly that it only made sense the reverse was also possible.  Not that he assumed Ignis thought a lot about him.  The two of them were far from friends, at the moment they were just acquaintances brought closer through circumstance.

Thankfully Ignis took his silence as intentional rather than indecision.

“I apologize.”  There was a groan and a thump as Ignis let his head fall back down onto the headrest.  “Miss Clover had been very clear about the rules regarding speaking.  You are not required to answer me, of course.  As you can tell, I’m new at this whole thing…”

Gladio turned back to the sink and washed his hands, happy to have been given an out.  As a matter of fact, he had no problem speaking to most clients.  He didn’t say much, but even the occasional ‘yeah’ or ‘damn’ seemed to help move the conversation along.  But Ignis was correct, under his contract, he wasn’t required to speak.  It was refreshing, actually, to be in control.

“Today was… a trying day.” The voice behind him started to say, hesitantly, as if complaining was not something he was used to doing.  Gladio supposed it probably was abnormal.  Noct being the lazy dick that he was (not that Gladio didn’t love him, but he was a lazy dick sometimes) meant that Ignis was always cleaning up after the Prince.  And preparing his meals.  And doing his laundry. And driving him all over Insomnia.  And for all the time he’d known Ignis, the only negative thing he’d heard was that Ignis was tired.

Not even exhausted.  _ Tired. _

The man was a saint, and much stronger than Gladio thought he’d ever be – mentally at least.  Gladio wasn’t one to brag… well, sure, he exaggerated a lot and felt the need to one-up Prompto and Noctis at most things, but that wasn’t  _ bragging _ , that was just plain sense.  And Noct had to stop thinking he could beat Gladio at arm wrestling since the last time  _ Iris _ beat him and yeah, she was secretly being trained by the best there was (a.k.a. her big bro) but still.  He had a few years on her, he should have at least lasted half a minute. 

Iris totally got three scoops of ice cream when Gladio took her out to celebrate.  On Noct’s gil, of course.  He could afford it.

When Gladio had finished washing and drying his hands, he pulled out a freshly laundered towel from the cabinet under the sink and walked over to the bed. 

The room was actually fairly sparse because even though the other staff members could memorize their place of work faster than Gladio could scarf down a bowl of noodles, it was better not to leave anything up to chance.  Aside from a few cabinets as the back, where the towels, lotions, and sink were located, the only there furniture was the massage bed in the middle of the room and the single wheeled chair that always sat under the headrest. 

While this was Gladio’s usual space, if he wasn’t working and there was an influx of customers, it wasn’t uncommon for one of the other masseuses to use the room.  Often it was Nettle, an extremely chipper girl a bit older than Gladio.  She was an absolute sweetheart, something people probably wouldn’t expect after hearing her name.  Gladio thought if she and Iris ever met, they would probably have enough pep and cuteness together to melt Drautos’s face into something resembling a smile.

Now  _ that _ was a man who needed to loosen up. 

Honestly speaking, he probably just needed to get laid.  Sweetpea, another coworker, would probably have him trussed up in a heartbeat if she ever met him.  She was stoic and sarcastic and could deliver the most biting of criticism with so much tact you’d probably end up thanking her for the privilege.  Gladio kept telling her she could make bank if she ever wanted to be a dominatrix, especially since everyone in Insomnia seemed repressed beyond belief, but she maintained that she liked her job.

It took Gladio a few moments to realize he was standing beside the bed with a towel in his hands, just… staring.  Thankfully he was used to the darkness so he could tell the Ignis hadn’t looked up again, but man, awkward.  Even so, he placed the towel over Ignis’s naked body (fuck, he’d always wanted to see just what the man was hiding under all those suits and ties but it looked like the Gods just wanted him to suffer a little longer) and gently tucked it under Ignis’s hips.

Ignis jerked in shock, obviously not suspecting that Gladio was as close as he was.  Or maybe he was ticklish?  Hmm, it was also possible that he was just super sensitive when he let down his guard.  Only time would tell.

Deciding to forgo lotion for the time being, especially since if he were being super honest, he kinda liked the way Ignis smelled (nothing bad just… he always had this exotic scent hanging around him… it was intoxicating).  Pulling over his stool, he sat at the head of the table and carefully felt for Ignis’s extended hand before pulling it towards himself and getting to work.

He felt closer to Ignis than he ever had in the past and the man hadn’t even begun to talk yet.  Gladio felt the silence in his bones, like it was something tangible and vicious.  He didn’t know why he felt like it was a bad thing, usually he didn’t care one way or the other if clients spoke to him or just relaxed and fell asleep.  But for some reason, he felt like Ignis needed to speak.  And he desperately wanted to hear what the advisor had to say.

For the few minute or so, Gladio just held Ignis’s hand tightly, feeling along the wrist, to the palm, to the fingertips.  He could have guessed that in using daggers Ignis would have strong hands and therefore would likely have tension in different places than Gladio ever did.  There was pure muscle, like Gladio and his choice of weapon, and then there was dexterity.

“You’re very strong.”  Ignis began slowly, not moving his head an inch.  Gladio couldn’t help but snort at that comment because, well, obviously.  There was an embarrassed clearing of a throat as Ignis realized what he had said and attempted to clarify. 

“Of course it stands to reason that this job would require you to be strong.  I meant that… it feels nice.  And I would be in your debt if you could use even more pressure.  I’m used to being beaten up on a regular basis, my body has become attuned to some… roughness.”  The fact that Ignis was able to get all of that all without any sort of shame colouring his speech meant he must really be relaxing because Gladio couldn’t be the only person to have leapt to dirtier conclusions.

Gladio did as Ignis requested and used more pressure, pulling at the webbing between Ignis’s fingers in short, sharp bursts.  It was something Gladio did to help his own hands after a day of hard training, and although there was always some pain because the skin there was so thin, there was also a little relief.  Gladio repeated his ministrations on Ignis’s remaining hand, pausing only momentarily to finally grab some lotion.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional squeak of the stool (which Gladio would have to get fixed because damn if it wasn’t ruining the mood) and a grunt of pain here or there from the man on the table.  The first time Ignis had seemed hurt Gladio had stopped immediately.  If it were any other client he might have been worried that he was actually going too hard, but he knew Ignis could take it. 

That wasn’t it though. 

Even though Ignis didn’t know who he was, there was something really nice about spending time with the man.  Gladio was hoping that if he did well enough there would be another visit in the future.

Ignis was undeniably hot and even though Gladio didn’t know him very well, he wanted to get to know him better.  He wanted to be able to call him friend and actually mean it, not just say it so that Noct would feel his guardians were getting along.  There was also the more pressing matter of how the man had made more than one appearance in his dreams.  And not the ones you tell your family about over dinner.

The kind that wake you up in the middle of the night, heart pouring with sweat rolling down your chest and a lap full of sticky shame.  Gladio could have sworn Ignis had actually stolen into his room during the night, so real were the phantom kisses that scorched his lips and… various other regions.  Fuck, if the real thing was even half as tempting as his dream self, Gladio knew he was done for.

“Is something the matter?”

The words broke Gladio out of his reverie and he blinked in confusion before noticing that he was stroking the bruises on Ignis’s fingertips.  He couldn’t see them, of course, but he knew they were there – he’d been too vicious, too demanding during his training with the advisor and had clipped the other’s hands with a training sword.  With that hiss of pain, Gladio knew bruises would be developing before the end of the day.  His fault, but just as he was about to apologize, Ignis’s eyes flashed with anger and Gladio couldn’t compel himself to feel sorry. 

Here he was trying to sculpt the man into a better fighter and this was the thanks he was getting?  Fucking hells, if anyone had the right to be furious it was him.  Ignis should have blocked that blow easily, and the fact that he didn’t meant that he wasn’t fully focused on the task at hand.  A slip up like that during a real battle could mean the end of him, or even Noctis. 

Unacceptable.

And so Gladio had just shut his mouth and glared, more or less forcing Ignis to leave the room first.  Neither of them said a word to each other and it was only after Ignis had closed the door behind him that Gladio admitted to himself that he was being an ass.  By the time he put away his own weapon and made to leave, the injured man was long gone and Gladio was left with a bruise of his own.  He was hot-headed, he knew it, and he knew he had to control it better.  But to see someone that he actually respected and was attracted to leave the room angry with him… his heart ached.

It seemed that without even being conscious of it, Gladio’s mind had stopped him from pressing too deeply against the injuries he had caused.  But to Ignis, it probably felt fucking strange because who wanted some weirdo freak stroking their damn fingers during a massage.  

Awkward and shit shit shit, he was thinking too much about this, time to move on.

“Sorry.” Gladio stood up and let the word escape.  It was barely above a whisper but he knew Ignis could hear him.  Let the man think he was apologizing for being lost in thought and not because the words were long overdue.  He moved to Ignis’s neck and pressed thick fingers into the tense muscles there, digging in with a little more pressure than he should have, just to get everyone’s minds back on track.

He was also nervous. He had finally spoken, finally taken that leap.  Would Ignis recognize his voice?  Would he be found out? 

There was a long silence and then Ignis shifted on the bed, and let out a low groan as Gladio hit a particularly delicate spot.  Good.  Looks like there was no recognition.

Gladio didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad about that.  He had figured out who Ignis was in no time at all.  Did the man really think so little of him that he couldn’t tell who Gladio was in the same fashion?

“I should be asking you that, this is your session.” Gladio decided to bite the bullet and coax the truth out of Ignis.  Besides, this was technically his job.  Well, a side-job but even so, he did take pride in his work and he didn’t want anything getting out about him not taking care of customers.  Although to be fair, he doubted Ignis would ever lodge a complaint.  Somehow he’d probably turn it around and blame himself.

Ignis was entirely too self-sacrificing.  Gladio both admired that about the man (because it was something he would never be able to do to the same extent) and hated it (because taking everyone else’s problems and making them his own wasn’t doing them or him any favours).

Gladio had spoken softly, trying to disguise his voice only a little. He was loud, brash, energetic… all of those things made him a fantastic people person but also made him extremely recognizable.  It wasn’t always an issue, he liked it when his reputation preceeded him, especially when it stamped out any trouble that might have been brewing.  But there were times, times like this, when gentler pressure was necessary.

Ignis knew his Shield persona, how Gladio acted when he was in public and protecting and  _ working _ .  But he didn’t know the other side to Gladio.  This side, where he worked because he wanted to help people feel better, where he could leave the pressures of his life behind and just  _ be.   _ He wasn’t faking any part of his personality, not by any stretch, but he was much more multifaceted than people might believe.

It took a moment.  Well, it took more than a few moments but eventually Ignis felt comfortable enough to speak. Gladio was finished with both arms by that point, and was well on his way to ensuring every wet dream he’d ever have would be full of Ignis.  The sounds that were coming from the man… Even if Gladio were as straight as an arrow he’d probably be sporting at least a mild hard-on right about now.

Because,  _ damn _ . 

Gladio wanted to coax every moan, every grunt and groan and hiss of pleasure he could before their time was up.  And even after they were through.  How someone so uptight could be so damn vocal when the lights were out.  Literally.  If he’d known this was all it would take to turn Ignis to putty in his hands, Gladio would have offered to massage the tension from his body ages ago.  If they were closer friends than they were, he might even insinuate the many different ways it could be done.

There was twenty minutes left on the clock - Gladio had spent far too long working on arms, most of their session was over before he’d even begun on Ignis’s neck.  But he couldn’t bring himself to care, not when Ignis seemed to be enjoying his touch so much.  … Phlox’s touch would be more accurate, maybe.  Besides… maybe, if his ministrations were up to the advisor’s high standards, he’d get requested again.  Maybe even be booked this time, because he sure as hell would make plans to see Ignis again after all this, exhaustion be damned.

Ignis spoke carefully, weighing his sentences in his mind - probably determining whether something would be a breach of privacy or if Phlox would be able to figure out who he was and what he did for a living.  Too late there.

He also let something interesting slip: he mentioned someone he worked with who was maddeningly attractive and yet frustrating in every way.  Noct was both of those things, but Ignis has worked with him all his life - he wouldn’t complain for sure.  Prompto was also a possibility but Ignis tended to give him more leeway because he made the Prince so damn happy.  That just left… him.

The frustrating part hurt a bit, sure, but Gladio couldn’t deny that it was true.  It wasn’t intentional, there was just something about Ignis that brought out Gladio’s competitive nature.  That other part though, about smoking hotness... (maybe a smidge of paraphrasing, but it’s what Ignis meant. Obviously).

Even though there wasn’t much time left, Gladio wasn’t going to do a rush job.  In battle, just as in life, rushing was never the answer.  You could hurt yourself, hurt others, do something you’d regret.  Sure, it was something he knew but still did, on occasion.  But this time he was going to take his time.  Suggest that if ‘the client’ wanted to return, there would be more care and attention paid to all those parts of the body that were missed.  Emphasize  _ care _ .  Leave the real meaning up for interpretation. Because if Ignis didn’t know who he was, Gladio was going to get some hardcore flirting in.

So as Ignis continued to detail his day, in the most vague and subtle way possible, Gladio worked his way down the man’s tense back. Holy hell, he hadn’t felt something this tight since… well, ever.  Most of his clients sat all day in offices, maybe did some light cardio when they felt a bit of a gut forming.  Not many fighters, martial arts gurus, or people of that ilk.  He knew for sure it would take more than one session to fix this, so he did what he could and moved lower.

The timer was about to go off, but Gladio quickly swiped at it with a free hand (while pretending to get more lotion), leaving Ignis none the wiser.  Screw it, there were no clients waiting at this time for sure.  He could afford to spend a little more time on this special one…

Gladio trailed his fingers lightly down Ignis’ muscular calves, less sexy than it sounded.  He was trained well, he could feel even the slightest difference between  _ needs fixing _ and  _ all fine here, bro _ .  He was expecting more moans, maybe a some sighs of relief when he reached the sore muscles around the heel.  

What he wasn’t expecting was laughter.

Actual peals of laughter.  Honest to Gods-damned laughter!  He’d never heard Ignis make this noise before, and it fascinated him almost more than the much-gained masturbatory material.

“Please-- Please not there! I’m extremely ticklish.  Upper body alone is fine.”  Ignis managed to get out once Gladio took his hands away.  And yet Gladio left his hands in place, hovering in the air above goosebumped flesh.  Something was the matter with him.  He wanted to hear Ignis laugh more, again, this happiness something he never got to experience during training or when Ignis was working.

“...okay.  Turn over.”  Shit, a bit gruffer than intended.  Gladio never was very patient when he wanted something.  He needed to work on that, pronto.  

Moving slowly so Ignis wouldn’t be surprised, Gladio grabbed the edges of the towel (placed precariously, very  _ tempting _ ) and pulled it up, allowing the other man to flip around so he was face up.  Gladio bit his lip fiercely, forcing himself to focus on the sharp pain rather than the fact that he was closer to Ignis’s junk that he’d ever been in his life and he wanted to see.  And touch and  _ taste _ and--

But no. He was a professional.  There were certain lines he wouldn’t cross, especially without consent.  And even though there were probably some masseurs (and clients) who got off on, well, getting off with a stranger, Gladio wasn’t one of them.  And he especially would never,  _ ever _ touch Ignis without express permission.  Permission for  _ Gladio _ , not for Phlox.

And by the Goddess herself, now that Gladio knew Ignis thought he was as hot as Ifrit in a speedo (or Shiva with nipple tassels, judgement-free zone here) he wanted to use that  _ slightly _ underhanded-ly gained knowledge to his advantage.  He wanted to be less frustrating, less irritable, more helpful and apologetic and  _ himself. _ All facets of himself.  Because he was pretty sure Ignis would like the real him.

Not totally sure, but pretty sure.  Fingers crossed,  _ pleasepleaseBahamutplease! _ sure.

And then Ignis was on his back and the towel was going back down and fucking hells, something was nudging his wrist and it sure as hell wasn’t a hand. Or a leg. Or anything Gladio would have ever expected after an hour (ish) session with a man.

Ignis was hard.

Scratch that, Ignis was hard as  _ fuck _ and his dick was so big it was tenting the towel.

But that’s right, he was supposed to be blind.  There’s no way he would know that, right?  I mean, Ignis could - would - probably play it off like there was nothing there.  Although... it was pretty clear that Gladio would know because that damned monster cock threw itself at him like it wanted a hand job.

That was definitely a fantasy Gladio had had before.  Someone - usually faceless - would be hard and leaking, soaking the covering towel so much the room practically reeked of sex. And that was before any actual touching.  And Gladio would lotion up his hand, gather some of that naturally produced slick as well, and jack off the client.  Maybe a finger or two in their mouth too, if that tickled both of their fancies.  And when all was said and done, he’d use their come as lube and jack himself off, come across their chest and neck.  Let them lick off the remainder from his spent cock, watch them enjoy tasting themself and him, their essences mixed and pungent and bitter as hell but perfect in some odd way.

_ Ahem _ .  Crap, he was getting a bit too excited.  Anyway.

Point was, yeah, Ignis knew for sure that Gladio felt it.  And while it wasn’t uncommon at all, many clients ended up sporting some wood or left with more flush in their cheeks than usual, for someone as cautious as Ignis… it would probably be hella embarrassing.  

It didn’t help but add more fuel to the fire that was Gladio’s lust for his coworker, though.

Deciding to spare both of them any awkward conversation which could lead to discovery or (even worse?) a promise to never return, Gladio backed away from the bed, footsteps louder than normal on purpose.  Ignis still hadn’t moved, hadn’t said a word, but the atmosphere had changed.  Gladio just wasn’t sure what it changed  _ to. _

“Time’s up.  I hope you enjoyed today’s services.  Please see Clover on your way out.”

And for the second time that day, Gladio ran away. Like a coward.  He knew it was inappropriate, he knew he shouldn't do it but it was like his body was on auto-pilot.  Trying to save him from something he'd likely regret doing or just... enjoying making Gladio out to be a dick for the billionth time that day?  Who knew, but there was no stopping it.

He knew Ignis could probably see his silhouette with the light from the hallway illuminating him.  He was counting on a bit of light-blindness to help keep his secret though.  He actually wasn’t thinking at all, just reacting - just like he knew he shouldn’t.  But he had to get away, avoid that temptation to do… everything he’d always wanted to do to the man.

He caught the barest glimpse of Ignis, mouth a perfect O as he shut the door behind himself and vanished into the back room.

That was it.  The jig was up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't love how I ended this chapter, but screw it - maybe I'll get better as I write more. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Gladio spent the next day waiting for the hammer to fall, for Ignis or maybe someone he confided in to come calling and give Gladio hell for his reaction the evening before.  Maybe berate him in private (or public) for being an absolute douche and making things more uncomfortable than they would or should have been.  Call him a pervert for feeling up a friend, a liar for hiding part of his life away.  

He spent every waking moment thinking about Ignis, unfortunately.  School was out early and so Noct (and Prompto, of course) surprised Gladio by coming for some extra training during the evening.  They probably wanted to work off all the burgers and fries they’d eaten before coming.  And they didn’t even bring him any, the jerks.

The two of them coming in was unexpected but not necessarily unwelcome - often getting the Prince to train during his time off was nigh impossible.  

In retrospect, Gladio should have known something was up.

Ignis accompanied Noct, as per usual.  He made himself comfortable in an available chair (as comfortable as was possible in those old things anyway) and pulled out his cellphone.  That was the last thing Gladio really paid attention to because just as he was about to concoct theories over why Ignis was playing on his phone rather than take notes on training (for Noct) or create new recipes that involved more spice than sense (for Prompto), Noctis smacked him in the ass with the wooden training blade.

“Fuckin’ hell!” Gladio roared in surprise, completely unaware that Noct had even been that close to him.  Clearly dividing his attention was bad for his concentration just as much as his pride.  It wasn’t that it hurt very much (because really, Noct was a twig compared to Gladio in terms of mass and power) but he was on edge as it was so the words, a little harsher than he would have liked, just slipped out.  His last millisecond glance at Ignis showed two perfect eyebrows raised in what was either amusement or pity.

Gladio spent the rest of the training time encouraging the two friends to work as a team and to stop goofing off when they seriously had a lot to learn.  That and trying to catch Noct as he warped all over the room, the little bugger.  

Warping was a handy skill, sure, but it didn’t replace technique and preparedness on the battlefield.  Thank the Gods that wherever the Prince went, he’d be sure to have his three (much more capable) companions with him.

When they were all finished, finally, Noctis finally admitted that they reason they came in when they would have otherwise been off (still) eating burgers and playing video games, was because they were going to be staying at Noct’s place for the next three days straight marathoning something or other, and wouldn’t be coming in for lessons.  Yup, Gladio should have known something was up.

Fortunately for them, Gladio couldn’t even muster enough strength to tell them that that was unacceptable.  He’d been on edge, anxious and stressed, for over half the day and he just wanted some time to himself.  Honestly, he couldn’t figure out for the life of him why he was so gods-damned nervous about what Ignis was going to say to him.

Maybe… because everything he came up with was negative and hurtful and he really,  _ really _ wanted Ignis to like him.  Get closer to him.  Befriend the man so they could be… more than friends. Eventually, of course.  And basically feeling up your crush (ugh,  _ crush _ \- Iris was a bad influence on him) and then running away like a pitiful puppy was hardly the best way to get into anyone’s good graces.

Because as much as he said he was a better man, stronger and smarter and all that jazz, there was a part of him that  _ wanted _ to touch Ignis in that dark room.  Wanted to hold and kiss and lick and  _ fuck,  _ do everything.  Wanted to use one of those stupidly famous porno lines like,  _ Can I help you with that? _ and just go to fucking town.

Running away had stopped him from doing something he’d regret, something they’d both regret.  And he could barely look Ignis in the eyes (although everywhere else was fair game) because all the shame of how he was feeling, how he wanted to react, came rushing back.

Some might say that the fact that Gladio was able to consider the repercussions and change his tune accordingly was good enough to prove that he  _ wasn’t _ a perverted monster.  But the fact still remained that those thoughts were there - ever present in the back of his mind - and he couldn’t chase them away no matter how hard he tried.  And that, that in itself, was an unforgivable weakness.

Which was why Gladio was  _ this _ close to bashing his head against the wall when, after Noctis and Prompto had ducked off into the showers, he finally had time to check his phone.  There was one missed called from a contact labelled Personal Accountant - his code for Clover.  And she never called him unless there was a problem.

Well shit.  Looks like Ignis had decided to complain after all.

Stomach a jumble of knots, he called her back all the while glancing around to make sure he was truly alone.  Ignis had vanished at some point and so Gladio had the room to himself.  Thank the damn Gods for that fact, at least.

Clover and Gladio were close, although not good friends since that would require more honesty on Gladio’s part and that wasn’t something he was comfortable with.  She knew that he had another job that took up most of his time, and probably had her suspicions as to who he reported to but he hadn’t told her anything concrete.  And as much as he liked her, that’s how it would stay.

It took three rings before Clover picked up.

“Yes?”

“Hey, you called?” Gladio didn’t say who he was, and he didn’t have to.  Clover had zero trouble recognizing his voice.

“Phlox, yes.  Pardon me for calling during your day job.  I was wondering if you were still too busy to take appointments.” Her voice was calm and it was doing wonders for his nerves, as was the fact that there was no mention of Ignis or Gladio’s gross missteps.

Gladio scratched his neck, partially because his free hand was always searching for something to do during phone calls but mostly because drying sweat itched like a mother-. “Um… I kinda prefer nothing concrete in case I have to cancel.  Why?”

“We’ve received a request for a male masseuse for tomorrow evening.” Clover cleared her throat pointedly.

“Ask Yarrow, he’s always around isn’t he?  If the client wants a man, he’d be a great choice.  At least he’s punctual.”  Gladio rubbed the bridge of his nose in discomfort.  He could feel a headache coming on.

“You were asked for by name.”

Well shit.  Looks like Ignis wanted to drag things out a little longer.  

Understanding his silence as what it was, frustration, Clover tried to give Gladio an out. “Look, if you’re not free I can just let the client know.  It’s totally up to you.  I can’t force you to come in, I made that quite clear when I spoke to him earlier.”

Spoke to him earlier…?  Did that mean Ignis was potentially on the phone while Gladio was instructing Noctis and Prompto?  Did Ignis stare at Gladio when he made the call?  

...damn it all, better to rip the bandage off quick.  It wouldn’t be good to have this discussion anywhere they could be overheard anyway.  

He had to man up.  Take his punches, hold back on dishing out any of his own, and let Ignis say what he had to say.  They were both professionals, if Ignis was uncomfortable he’d have to say so and just believe Gladio never meant anything by his… attitude.  

“...fine.  Tell the client that I’ll try to be there but can’t make any promises. Double check with Yarrow to make sure he’s available just in case, yeah?”

“I will.  Thanks Phlox, the client will be very pleased.  It’s the same guy from last night, if you were curious.”

Gladio snorted, just loud enough for it to probably carry over the phone’s speakers.  “Yeah, I figured.  Thanks Clover, text me the time when it’s set.”

There was a hum of assent and a soft click as the line went dead.  Clover never said goodbye, said she wasn’t used to it after dealing with clients all day.  She dealt with the lot of them, day in and day out - one day off per week.  It wasn’t hard to see how that might affect her somewhat.

An odd, dreary sort of calmness took hold of Gladio.  Tomorrow.  Tomorrow he’d have Ignis at his fingertips asking why he had run away the other day.  Tomorrow he’d have to explain it was an accident and didn’t mean to make Ignis feel uncomfortable.  And if Gladio knew Ignis like he thought he did, the conversation wouldn’t end there.  

Gladio wasn’t a very good liar but even if he had been, Ignis was very good at weeding out the truth.  He’d feel obligated to explain why he felt so awkward, why he  _ had _ to leave the room at that very instant.  And somehow,  _ somehow _ , a stupid massage appointment would turn into a heart-to-heart confession that would probably drive Ignis away and keep him at arms-distance for the rest of their lives.

Fuck it all, he needed to relax.

Raising his arms above his head and stretching, Gladio caught a whiff of himself.  It was pretty pungent.  Yup, he needed to relax and he needed a damn shower.

By the time Gladio made his way to the showers and put all of his gear back in his locker, everyone was long gone.  It was Friday after all, made sense that no one would want to spend any longer away from their families than normal.

He was just in the process of undressing, shirt in a ball on the floor and pants around his ankles, when he felt a breeze blow through the silent shower room.  Gladio kicked off his pants and stood up, unconcerned that his modesty was hidden only by a well-worn pair of boxer briefs.

Gladio did not expect Ignis to come strolling in.  And clearly Ignis thought he’d be alone because he was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt (letting a very delectable V of pale skin show) and he had a towel in the crook of one arm.  Upon noticing Gladio, he stopped abruptly, his hands stilled and he looked at a loss for words.

His eyes, however, were very clearly taking advantage of the moment.  Gladio could have sworn they lingered a bit on certain parts of his anatomy before finding a speck of dirt on the floor and staring at it like it held the meaning of life itself.  ...he was probably just projecting though.

“Hey.” Gladio’s voice broke through the awkward silence. “Didn’t know anyone was still here.”

The corner of Ignis’s mouth twitched in what much have been frustration.  “Noctis neglected to inform me that he wouldn’t be needing a ride home this evening.  I grew tired of waiting in the car and eventually found out by way of emoji-ridden text message that they had hitched a ride with one of the Glaives.”  There was a definite slump to Ignis’s shoulders now.  Poor guy probably wanted to get home too, Prince duties or not, Friday was Friday.

Gladio winced.  He’d actually heard Prompto say something about that during training, Noct giving Ignis the night off.  Or suggesting that he should?  One of the two.  Gladio had just assumed that the advisor knew about it already.  He had this amazing ability to read lips (or minds) and usually if Noct forgot to mention something, Prompto would remember.

Ignis was still talking, although his hands now held his shirt in a death-grip.  “Ultimately, I decided that since it was so late, having a shower here would be a better use of my time, especially considering the water pressure here is much preferable to that in my own home.”

“Yeah… that blows.”  Nice, Gladio, real smooth talker you are.  “I’m not going home tonight either.  Dad’s off with the King and Iris is sleeping over with a friend so it’d just be me and… a whole lotta empty space.”

Gladio decided to sit back down, trusting his own muscle memory to remember where the bench was so he didn’t fall on his ass and make a fool of himself.

“That sounds lovely.”

“It’s kinda lonely?  I have an apartment in the Glaives’ quarters so it’s easier for me to stay here anyway.”

“Two homes?  There are definite advantages to being an Amicitia, I see.” And Ignis smiled, clearly intending for his words be to be taken as a joke.

If anyone else had said it, there would have been no problem.  He probably would have laughed it off, made some comment about good genes and great hair and how he couldn’t complain about much.  Utter a good natured  _ ‘screw you!’ _ and leave it at that.  If it had been anyone else.

Gladio wasn’t sure why, his reaction made no damn sense, but he bristled at the comment.  He knew his family was wealthy, obviously, and while he appreciated all the help and privilege, he wanted to go his own way sometimes.  He paid for his apartment himself, thank you very much, with the money he made on his side job.  So maybe non-Glaives weren’t supposed to live in that area but that was neither here nor there.

Deep down, Gladio knew that Ignis wasn’t being rude by bringing up his family, but it was a sore subject sometimes and it had been a stressful day.

“I’m sure there are perks to being an Amicitia, but I try not to abuse my family name for the sake of saving a few gil.  I’m glad your opinion of me is so high.” He shot back, yet again without thinking of the consequences.

Ignis just stared, eyes narrowed, lips pressed together so tightly it was clear he was trying to be the better man.  Gladio was already regretting what he had said.

“I… apologize.” The words seemed forced, as if Ignis was unimpressed that he had to say them at all.  Gladio didn’t blame him at all.  “I spoke carelessly.”

Swallowing back a sudden bitter taste filling his mouth as he saw how Ignis really thought of him, distaste written all over his face, Gladio fought to save the situation.

“No, Iggy, I--”

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to shower and get home as quickly as possible.  Some of us have work tomorrow.” And with that, Ignis removed his glasses, set them on the edge of the bench, and strode off in the direction of the showers, clearly intending to change in the stall.

When he was gone and Gladio could hear water running, he heaved a sigh of extreme frustration.  His damn temper--!  He was such a damned fuck-up.  No wonder he and Ignis had never become any closer, he was somehow always self-sabotaging.

Feeling defeated like he hadn’t for a long time, Gladio stripped off his underwear and tucked it, along with the rest of his dirty clothing, into his bag before heading for the showers himself.  Ignis looked like he’d deliberately chose the further shower from the door which suited Gladio just fine because he didn’t know what to say, what to do, to un-screw everything he’d messed up.  Again.

Hopping into a stall mid-way between Ignis’s and the door, Gladio lathered up and had the quickest shower he’d ever taken in his life.  Usually he took his time, especially if he was alone, and spent some quality ‘private time’ with his own body.  Yeah, sure, the showers weren’t the best place to jack off uninterrupted but there was something about that chance - that possibility - of being found out that really got him excited.  Actually being caught, on the other hand, was a major turn-off so Gladio often spent most of his session with his ear to the door, listening for any minute change in noise that meant someone else was present.

Today was certainly not the time for that, especially with Ignis only a few stalls away and likely still pissed.  No, Gladio didn’t want their next major interaction to be one of embarrassment and  _ more _ anger.  He would have prayed to the Gods for good luck on that front but knowing his luck, Bahamut, the sadistic bastard, probably would screw him over just for kicks.  He had that air about him.

By the time Gladio was finished, his mind was made up.  He knew he had to apologize to Ignis somehow and he doubted that the other man would be willing to listen to him long enough to accept a verbal apology.  Or if he’d even believe it. 

Gladio made one last attempt to smooth things over.  Drying off his body so he wouldn’t make puddles while he walked, he wrapped the towel around his waist and made his way to Ignis’s stall.  Then he hung around outside miserably as he realized that talking to someone in the shower, someone you’d just been a dick to, probably wasn’t the creepiest thing ever but it probably came close.  Especially when there was only a thin line separating the both of them.  He coughed to let Ignis knew he was there, like maybe that would make things a little easier for the both of them. 

“Hey Ignis, I…” The words stuttered to a halt in his throat.  What had he wanted to say again?  He was usually so good with words, with people.  Why was this so damn hard? “I wanted…”

“Gladio? I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” Ignis’s voice was loud but he was probably right - Gladio couldn’t compete with water thundering against wet skin and tile.

_ Fuck it all. Plan B it is. _

Gladio sighed, glad at least that Ignis wouldn’t be able to hear that. “... See you tomorrow.”

The pounding of water sounded different, Ignis must have come closer to the curtain to hear.  His voice seemed clearer at least.  “Tomorrow is Saturday, I sincerely doubt we’ll have time to meet up.”

“You know what I mean.” It took an enormous amount of willpower not to roll his eyes.

“Unless you plan to help me with the shopping and cleaning of Noct’s apartment, I truly do not.”

Gladio wanted to bang his head against the shower wall.  Why was Ignis making this so damn hard, Gladio was giving him plenty of outs to come clean.  It would make the next discussion they had so much easier…

“Whatever.  Bye Iggy.”

“Goodnight Gladiolus.”

Gladio considered hanging around outside the stall for a few more moments to try and save the conversation, most especially to ensure neither of them would go to sleep upset.  But no, that was a bit much and way, way too creepy.  Besides, Ignis was probably not going to come out if Gladio was still there.  He’d had a similar situation with Iris once and after locking herself in the bathroom, leaving Gladio to endure stare after wordless stare over and over again from concerned and judging household staff, he’d practically broken down the door to beg for forgiveness.

Gladio was guessing that kind of prostrating wouldn’t help in this case.

Instead, Gladio forced his feet to move in the opposite direction.  He dried himself off fully and got dressed, and by the time he’d pulled his hair back into a messy almost-bun, he knew what he had to do.  It wouldn’t be a cure-all, but it might help.  And really, at this stage, every little bit helped.

Praising his father for teaching him to always be prepared, Gladio pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil he kept in his gym bag.  He scrawled a message, wishing he had more time to think of something thoughtful to write (but knowing that Ignis probably wanted to get out of the shower asap, great water pressure no comparison to a good bed).  He grabbed what he needed out of his locker and folded it into the note before leaving it in plain sight on the bench, just beside Ignis’s abandoned glasses.

And then he headed to his apartment, ready to collapse into a near coma as soon as his head his the pillow.

His final thought before he passed out was, not surprisingly, of Ignis.  And maybe, just maybe, that Ignis  _ didn’t _ know his secret after all.

Did that make things better between them, or worse?

Only time would tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a problem with adding water into almost everything I write. What is wrong with meeeeee.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to 2018, here is some more crack for you to (hopefully!) enjoy. :)
> 
> AND finally updated that this is a gift for my dear Ginia. Took me long enough, right? <3

When Gladio woke up the next morning, bright and early at his usual time, he felt refreshed.  It was like all the stresses of the previous day, the previous two days actually, had melted away.  

Sure, Gladio still got up at the ass-crack of dawn (no matter how late he fell asleep, his body never let him get away with taking it easy in the mornings), he was sporting some major wood   _ and _ his breath stank  _ and _ he had an annoying case of bedhead, but he was relaxed.

He rolled off his bed and got up, scratching his belly, as he headed off to shower.  Other than some manual manipulation, a cold shower was the easiest way to get rid of his most pressing concern.  And as much as he wanted to touch himself, jack off while thinking of whatever (or whoever) came to mind, he didn’t have the time.

There was a lot to do today.

On his way to the bathroom he grabbed his phone from the charger and flicked it on.  It was usually set on silent mode so unless he received a phone call (and only people who desperately sought death OR needed major help would call him in the middle of the night) so he didn’t know if he had received any text messages.  He hoped that Ignis had taken everything well.  Maybe his shower had helped him calm down too, hopefully enough to actually read Gladio’s note rather than just stuff it in his own bag and forget about it.

There were no new messages.

Gladio tried not to let that bother him.  Ignis was busy, he was probably exhausted and went right to bed and didn’t even think about using his phone.  No need to overthink things.  Gladio needed to be on his game today.

The shower was freezing, just perfect in every way.  His dick wilted within a minute, thank the Gods, and Gladio was able to get out and get dressed before hypothermia set in fully.

Gladio wasn’t really a messy person.  Untidy at time, sure, but who wasn’t. Well, Ignis probably.  But if Ignis cleaned up after Noct on a regular basis, Gladio could literally live in a dumpster Ignis wouldn’t even blink.  Well, maybe not  _ literally _ .  Either way, he did need to clean up his place anyway so this was just the excuse he needed to get his ass in gear and actually  _ do it. _

A quick breakfast and a load of laundry later and Gladio was out the door.  By the time he got back the washing should be done so all in all, good timing.  

An empty fridge was a sad fridge so Gladio made sure to pop by the grocery store for some non-perishables.  Between his few important items (cup noodles, mainly, with some canned goods and carbonated drinks to round it all out), he also made sure to search for a few varieties of breakfast foods.  Most important meal of the day, or so Ignis made sure to say every single time Noct forgot to have some.

On his way to the cash he passed someone with a distinct enough hairstyle they could be spotted a mile away.

“Seriously Ulric? Beer? It’s not even noon.”  But he smacked the man on the back good-naturedly anyway, getting a single digit back in response.  Gladio laughed and continued on.  Nyx was a bit of jerk on the outside, seemingly cold and rather arrogant towards people he didn’t know well, but the man was a genius, an amazing fighter and had a heart of gold.  It was too bad he served with the Kingsglaive and not the Prince because Gladio definitely would have liked to get to know him better.  The both of them seemed to have reached a sort of comraderie since they often trained at the same time.

When Gladio got back to his apartment, he checked his phone once again.  Still no messages.  Hmm.  Well, maybe Ignis was getting a late start.  Gladio would be seeing him later in the evening anyway so he could ask his questions then.

Just as he was about to plug in his phone to charge, it beeped with an incoming text.  Gladio almost dropped the damn thing in his haste to see the message.  But it was only Clover finally sending the details of that evening’s appointment. Seems the client hadn’t gotten back to her last night after all, forcing her to wait on informing Gladio.

Oh well, sometimes shit happened, especially in Ignis’s line of work.  All that mattered was that tonight, at 8pm sharp, Gladio would finally be able to come clean and hopefully,  _ hopefully _ , everything would end well and good.

Gladio heaved a momentary sigh of regret.  He should have picked up some beer of his own, just in case.  Maybe Nyx would be a decent enough person to share.

In order to stop himself from starting to worry once more, a troublesome thing since he’d been chipper and hopeful all morning, Gladio got out his small stock of cleaning supplies and got to it.  Thankfully he didn’t stay at his apartment all the time so while it was fairly dusty (especially in areas where he seldom remembered to sweep), he wasn’t blind to the dirt.  Unlike his actual home where he lived with Iris and their father… sometimes his room was a mess and he legitimately didn’t even notice because somehow his eyes just passed over… everything.

The bathroom took the longest, actually.  One downside to having longer hair was that it got stuck in the drain plug.  Gross in every possible way.  It also reminded him that he was due for a haircut sometime soon, he was looking a bit shaggy and unless he decided he wanted to put it up, it needed a trim. Pain in the ass.

No. NO.  He had to stop getting distracted.  He only had, and a quick glance at his alarm clock showed him the truth, five or six hours before he had to get ready and leave for work.  He needed to finish.

He set a timer and got to work.  Within no time at all, it seemed, the alarm was blaring some disgustingly catchy pop song (Iris had evidently figured out his unlock code  _ again _ ) and Gladio was actually really proud of himself.

The kitchen was spic and span, pots and dishes back in their proper places and trash sitting in a bag on the floor. He’d take it out when he left.  All the food he’d bought was either in the cupboards or the fridge.

The bed was made, sheets changed and pillows fluffed.  The window over the bed was cracked enough to let in a small breeze but not too much noise (it was a busy area of town and certainly not a  _ quiet _ place to live but Gladio never really cared about that at all).  His desk was cleared off, sensitive materials in his bag to be taken home when he left.  He left a charger on his desk because he was  _ always _ forgetting them which usually meant a midnight trip to the store when he really would have preferred to be sleeping.

And the bathroom, the final major ‘disaster zone’ was looking… better than it had.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best he could have done in the time he had.  He probably should have asked a neighbour for some supplies but he likely would have ended up in some conversation or other (people really liked to spill all their secrets to him, even when he wasn’t at his night job) and he just wasn’t in the mood.

With his apartment looking as brand spanking new as the day he first walked in, there was no way he was going to mess that up by cooking something.  He’d find something to eat on the way to work.

Because, and this was key, Gladio wasn’t some heartless asshole who only cared about his duty and nothing else.  He helped his friends out whenever he could, he donated goods to the food bank, and he volunteered at one of the largest orphanages in Insomnia - unfortunately it was the largest due to population and not structure.  The war was really doing some horrible shit and, having lost a mother himself, Gladio knew what it was like to have that feeling of emptiness inside.

Gladio was lucky enough to have a good job, decent income, and family and friends he could call on if he ever needed help.  He wanted an apartment so he got one, he didn’t necessarily  _ need _ it as his real home wasn’t on the outskirts of the city… but Ignis’s was.  He had discovered that by complete accident. He just so happened to have been out of the city with the Marshall, visiting some of the towns that were close enough to Insomnia to travel to without spending most of the day in a truck. By the time their mission was complete and they were on their way back to the city to debrief King Regis, it was late.

So imagine Gladio’s surprise when they took a sidestreet to avoid a traffic jam and ended up seeing Ignis locking up his car and entering a house.  Even Cor had been taken aback, and nothing shocked him anymore.  The only thing Gladio could assume is that the prices in the downtown quarter were so astronomical that Ignis figured the only way he could live comfortably was to find someplace less populated.  It was either that or spend a month’s wages on living expenses and make due with hot cabbage soup for sustenance.

The fact that it likely took well over an hour and a half to get to and from work (with traffic) meant that Ignis was probably dead tired everyday.  Heck, he probably had a few later than expected nights and passed out in his office, if Gladio were to guess.

So yeah, taking that all into account, Gladio had decided that he needed to help, or at least offer to help.

And so in his message to Ignis (something short and polite and hopefully too simple to be misunderstood) he had included a spare key to his apartment.  You know, for those times when Ignis just needed to stay in the city or didn’t have enough energy to make the drive home.  Somewhere safe and warm and given with no need of reciprocation.  

Gladio usually stayed once a week anyway, so it wasn’t like he was putting himself out for the sake of another - Ignis definitely wouldn’t like that.  Besides, Iris always called him when he wasn’t coming home anyways - she pretended not to miss him until he wasn’t there and then it was just phone calls for hours.  ...he loved her so much, he never told her that enough.

Gladio didn’t know whether Ignis would keep the key or dispose of it via the nearest locker vent.  They hadn’t exactly left on the best of terms.  But Ignis was smart, he must know that Gladio was extending an olive branch.  All he had to do was accept.

It wouldn’t be the first time Gladio had invited someone over to his apartment in his absence.  One of the other Glaives, Raven maybe, had come around to ask if anyone could spare a room for a few days.  The refugee centre was full and there was a family that needed to be off the streets that night.  How could Gladio refuse something like that?

He’d gotten his key back about a week later, along with an envelope.  Inside was a thank you message.  Seemed like a pregnant mom and her kid had been trying to escape the war and an abusive ex and staying out of sight gave the Glaive (Crowe, not Raven - oops!) enough time to find them someplace more secure than a shelter.  

Gladio never did get to meet them as everything had gone through Crowe, but he did get a sweet gift out of it.  The child - he never found out their age or even if they were a boy or a girl - had some mighty good talent and made him a necklace in appreciation.  

He’d worn it everyday since it slid out of the envelope and into his palm.  

Even if he never saw that family or heard about them ever again, he hoped that they might recognise him and see that he appreciated their thoughts in return.

Gladio caught himself playing with the necklace, running it between his thumb and forefinger as if to smooth out all the rough edges through sheer will alone.  He found he often did that when his mind was preoccupied.  He was thankful at least that his body was such a well-oiled machine that it ran on autopilot even when the driver wasn’t ‘home’.

Snagging some street meat from a vendor as he wandered past (stopping long enough to pay, of course) he jumped on the first bus he saw that went towards his destination.  He had his hoodie up, earbuds in, broad shoulders helping in keeping anyone curious away from his person.  Just another way he made sure his secrets stayed his.

When he got to his stop, the sun was already setting.  He wiped off any remaining grease from his fingers and tossed the napkin in a trash can as he walked past.  Then he popped a mint or five into his mouth - he did  _ not _ want to stink like garlic tonight - and hightailed it to work with plenty of time to spare.  He took one of the lesser used entrances to get into the building: a door from a building across the street with an large  _ NO EXIT _ stamp across it.

The Midnight Garden really valued their privacy, okay?

Gladio walked past Clover and right into the back room.  She didn’t appear to notice him as she was on the phone and taking notes like a madwoman.  

By the time Clover did eventually appear, Gladio had changed into a loose set of clothing and washed his hands.  He was in the process of brushing his teeth, probably looked super hot with toothpaste foam in his beard, when she informed him his client had already arrived.

“Already?” Gladio spat out the toothpaste in shock. “I’m 30 minutes early and he’s already here?”

Clover shrugged. “I can’t complain about a prompt client.  He must really have been waiting to see you.  Looked super tense.”

“Shit.” Tense? Ignis tense?  Not a good sign. Not at all.

“Good luck, Phlox.  Oh, and Sweetpea called in sick tonight.  No one else is going to be on break until you finish up so poke your head out every once in a while, yeah?  Be my knight in shining armour if I need you?”  Clover looked like she was teasing but Gladio took her safety just as seriously as he would a member of royalty.

“Of course.”

“Get that worried look off your face, everything’s going to be fine.  Now get that fine ass into your room - the client is waiting.  Start early and finish ahead, right?”

Gladio smiled. “Right.”

With a gentle pat to his cheek, Clover went back to her desk.  Gladio listened until her anklets seemed to quiet down before taking a deep breath.  He could do this.

He could  _ do _ this.

The red light outside room 4 was glowing: someone was inside and waiting. Damn Ignis and his punctuality.

Gladio took another breath and exhaled slowly through his nose.  Then he knocked twice and after a momentary pause, pushed his way inside.

It was time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this bit seemed to go nowhere but there are some hints of things that I have planned in the coming chapters so I needed to plant the seeds.
> 
> That and Gladio is a gem and no one will ever be able to convince me to change my mind. NOT EVEN the creators who seem to enjoy messing up the character or not giving him a consistent personality (imo, please don't flame me) so... just let me love this man in any way I can. <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this up and I'm not super satisfied because I feel like I didn't answer all the questions ... but everytime I try and edit I end up thinking it is okay, giving it another day, and then thinking it's not SO if you find any glaring oopsies please let me know and I'll edit it again. xD
> 
> Also there is some mild violence and I'll include a trigger warning for choking because better safe than sorry. Tags have been updated.

It took Gladio a few precious seconds to let his eyes adjust to the darkness inside.  

Ignis was already there, obviously, which was both a blessing and a curse.  A blessing because even though Gladio felt awkward and uncomfortable about the whole situation, him not having to make the first move was actually a little refreshing?  And a curse because, well, he hadn’t fully prepared himself yet.  And Ignis arriving early set him a little off his game.  Okay, a lot off his game.

He kept his footsteps silent as he headed to the sink and washed up, making sure to use warm water so his hands wouldn’t surprise Ignis too much.  That was something he didn’t want to hear - Ignis’s gasping at the cold.  Nope, that was… no, more mess than Gladio wanted, especially when they were about to have a heart to heart.

He kinda wanted to have a hard to hard instead.  Oh yeah, even at his most stressed he was still capable of making corny jokes. Noct would be so proud.  

Gladio had told himself that he’d be the first to bring up the events that led to the trainwreck that was this moment.  He’d apologize, maybe admit that he knew who Ignis was and should have stopped - or at least let the other man know who he was.  Because it was obvious, at the time, that Ignis didn’t.  But he sure as hell knew now.  He saw Gladio leave.  Probably connected the dots to Gladio’s weird as hell reaction the next day, remembered that both voices sounded, no,  _ were _ the same…  

_ Hey Iggy, hope it’s cool that I call you that, I just wanted to say sorry for the other day - touching your dick and all.  I know it’s a normal reaction but I freaked because I’m fucking awkward as hell and if it had been anyone else I would have ignored it but you’re -you- and hot and smart and I just panicked.  I know you know who I am, kidding aside, I’m not that good at keeping secrets.  Here’s another one: you’re the sexiest guy I’ve seen in a long, long time and I’d really like to get to know you better and hopefully me touching your dick out of the blue isn’t a dealbreaker? _

… so the speech was a work in progress - Gladio hadn’t finished prepping yet, gods-damn it!  He wasn’t perfect, okay...

So it was pretty unexpected when Gladio did get to work (Ignis needed an ergonomic chair or something because his neck felt like steel cables and that was  _ not _ a good thing) and was in the process of trying to remember how to speak, that Ignis broke the silence.

“I am extremely sorry about my behaviour the other day.  It was unprofessional.  I should have had more control over my own body.”

Wait, what now? Ignis was apologizing? To Gladio?  This was backwards! “Pard--”

Ignis continued, “I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure what to make of your reaction and at first was unhappy that you abandoned me with no explanation.  I was a paying client, after all… But after thinking about it - about how uncomfortable you must have been - I realized I had to do something.  Unsurety was colouring my efforts in the workplace and that was becoming unacceptable.”

A client, huh?  That’s… all?  And there wasn’t any anger in his tone either so… did that mean…? No. Yes. Wow.  Ignis considered himself just that, a ‘client’, and not… a coworker or acquaintance or ‘associate’ (that sounded super Ignis-y to say, actually).  Which meant… well, mainly that Ignis wouldn’t be screaming that Gladio was a despicable liar - yay!  And even more surprising, somehow, and Gladio really should be uttering a million prayers in thanks to the Six, that Ignis  _ didn’t  _ know who he was?  

So Ignis was super weird the other day not because he had discovered who his masseuse really was… but because he was feeling guilty over something as natural as a boner and wanted to be forgiven?  That was just--!  That was… just so  _ Ignis. _  He was like a reverse Grinch - heart three sizes too big for damn body.

Gladio dug his thumb into one particularly tight muscle at the juncture of Ignis’s neck and shoulder and tried to ignore the small shiver and moan that escaped the man’s throat.  

Seriously, that had to be intentional, right? Ignis was just fucking with him?  Surely no one could be making that kind of sound without realizing how filthy it was, right?  Right?

Also, and Gladio was hoping it didn’t sound too weird to think, Ignis’s skin was incredibly soft? Like, baby butt soft.  Newly hatched chocobo fluff soft.  Cat’s belly soft.  Unf.  It was awesome.  Did he moisturize?  How did he rub cream into his back without help?  Gladio could barely wash his shoulder blades without pulling a muscle.  … did he have help? Gladio hoped to the Six that Ignis was just flexible as shit and that he didn’t have some secret lover.

Lusting after someone taken… it wasn’t the first time it’d happened but it still stung.

“You actually remind me of my companion, I believe I’ve made mention of him before.”

“Hmm?” Gladio perked up. Was Ignis talking about him?  

“He’s… a protector of sorts.  Cares for others to the extreme although… until recently he hasn’t shown me very much interest.” Ignis sounded sad but that might be just been the towel under his face muffling his words.  “Yesterday he came at me with quite a surprise.  Besides undressing me with his eyes in the locker room…” The last part was mumbled but Gladio heard it clear as day.

Making a sound of derision intended to… heck, Gladio didn’t even know.  But he knew Ignis had to have been making a joke because he most certainly did  _ not _ do anything of the sort. Maybe.  Probably?  He was often thinking about Ignis naked but he couldn’t have been  _ that _ obvious about it?  

...Besides, the way he remembered it Ignis was the one making eyes at him like he was a giant garulessa steak.

Hold on just a sec.  HOLD ON.

Ignis said something about a hot guy he worked with a few days back during their first session.  Now he was (lying!) about Gladio practically devouring Ignis’s half-naked body with his eyes.  Most men probably wouldn’t notice that kind of thing, or at least they’d write it off as being something innocent.  Gladio lost count how many times he’d heard the phrase “No homo!” uttered in the locker room after a huge Glaive and Guard training session.

But Ignis’s voice… was not making a joke out of it.  He sounded serious and, yes, it may have been the muffling aspect of it all but, he sounded… hopeful? Interested? Excited?

Holy hells, was Ignis actually interested in him? Not for fun, for actually honest-to-Gods  _ interested _ ?

Gladio had been touching and massaging for the better part of… shit, Gladio forgot to set the timer.  Um… like, maybe 15 minutes?  Certainly long enough for a boner to appear in any case, if feeling good was the only catalyst.  Was it wrong that he wanted to turn Ignis over and get the man to talk about this ‘unknown person’ some more to see if there was any other… interest?

Yeah, that sounded wrong.

Super wrong.

Also the makings of another fantastic session on Gladio’s bi-weekly (give or take) ‘touch-me-time’ in which Ignis was the main focus.

“Following a strange encounter in the showers, I was given leave to use a friend’s apartment at my leisure.”  Ignis moved his head to the side which made his words clearer.  There was a hint of wonder in his voice, like he couldn’t believe what had happened or didn’t understand why he felt the need to confide in a complete stranger.

A friend though? Wow.  Did he really think that or was he simplifying his speech for ease?

Ignis continued, “But I don’t really know what to do.  I’ll admit that the gesture was very kind and… more thoughtful than I expected.  However, even if he says it would be no inconvenience, I cannot help but wonder if he’s just being polite.  Perhaps he is only doing this out of a sort of misguided sense of altruism, helping the more unfortunate or something of the kind.  It is no secret that while my job supplies me with ample income, I did not come from money.  He did.”

Gladio didn’t really know how to voice his exasperation without expletives so he chose to roll his eyes dramatically.  Thankfully Ignis wouldn’t be able to see that in the dark.

“If you were in my position, what would you do? You don’t know the full story, of course, but… would you be able to offer me your opinion?”

“I was you and I had a friend who offered me help when I really needed it, I’d fucking take it.  Especially if the alternative was worse.  I’d use the damn key whenever it suited me.”

There was silence, made even more disconcerting by the fact that Ignis seemed to have stopped breathing.  Gladio could feel the muscles in the smooth back below him contract and tense, moving beneath his fingertips like they couldn’t control themselves.  Something was wrong.  

“Interesting.” Ignis voice was different, and not in a good way.

In one smooth motion Ignis flipped himself over and sat up, towel flapping to the floor with the sudden movement.  Gladio made as if to back up, avoid a repeat of the other day’s poor conclusion,  but his hand was suddenly held in an inescapable grip.  Well, he probably could have broken out without too much trouble but it still set off alarm bells in his skull.  Ignis squeezed warningly as Gladio tried once again to extract himself in as casual as way as possible.

“I wonder…” Ignis began thoughtfully, dangerously, as his thumb began to stroke Gladio’s captured wrist, “how you knew that I was given a key?  I never mentioned it.”

Gladio blanked.   _ Fucking shit. _ He knew his big mouth would get him in trouble again one of these days.  He just didn’t think it would be so soon.

“Who are you, really, and how long have you been watching me?  I warn you not to test me, I have been trained by the best - I could break your arm in five different ways before you could even draw breath.  

Haha, ‘the best’ indeed.  Leave it to Ignis to somehow be terrifying and complimentary at the same time.  He really was a wildcard underneath prose and proper posture.

The air became chilled and something barely visible danced at the edge of his perception.  Was Ignis really invoking the armiger here? Seriously?!

A shrill alarm was still tickling the back of Gladio’s mind.  It took him a few seconds, precious seconds that he should have been using to think a way out of this situation to notice it and realize what it meant.

An alarm. Not just in his mind, but easily mistaken for an audible hallucination.  Something that the casual passer-by wouldn’t notice but someone trained - someone like Gladio - would.

_ Clover. _

“Shit!” Gladio grunted and he yanked his hand out of Ignis’s threatening embrace and raced for the door.  His hand still tingled where Ignis had been stroking, and he suspected that he’d have some scratches on account of his surprising exit.  But Ignis could wait.  Clover was a civilian - she had  _ never _ hit the silent alarm, not once in all Gladio’s time there.  This was serious, she needed help  _ now. _

As Gladio raced down the wide hallway towards reception, he was finally able to hear Clover’s anklet.  And it wasn’t a good sound.  The tinkling was frantic and terrified and when it suddenly stopped without warning, Gladio felt his heart sink into his belly.

Rounding the corner he took approximately two seconds to take in the scene before he jumped into action.  Clover was being held against the wall by a mountain of a man, his hands clenched around her throat as she fought to breathe.  Gladio saw red. He didn’t who the man was or what had transpired, all he knew was he would end it.

Worried that any loud noise or obvious movement might scare the intruder enough to accidentally crush Clover’s windwipe, Gladio took a nanosecond to calm himself before sneaking up behind the asshole and delivering a bone-shattering kick to the closest knee while at the same time smashing the edge of his hand into the guy’s neck.

Both Clover and the man dropped.  Gladio, knowing what would happen ahead of time, managed to barely catch his friend before she collapsed completely and swiftly moved her out of harm’s way.  Then he turned to the piece of shit who dared lay a finger on her.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doin’?” Gladio growled, an eerily calmness taking control over his body as he fought to control his anger.

“You can see? I thought you had to be blind to work here!”  The man snarled through his obvious pain, his leg lying at an angle that nature did not intend. “And how  _ dare _ you touch me?  Do you know who I fucking am?” 

Gladio couldn’t help it, he laughed. “No.  Fuck you. NO.  I don’t care who you are and I don’t care what pissed you off - I care about what you tried to do to my friend.”  Looming menacingly, Gladio towered over the piece of shit bleeding on the floor.  “You will leave.  You will never come back.  You have 5 seconds before I call the cops.”

Clearly the man had no sense of self-preservation.

“You broke my leg you motherfucker, I’ll sue you - I’ll sue this place!” And his fingers scrabbled on the ground as he tried to find purchase and stand up.

“I’m willing to bet I know more powerful people than you do.” Gladio spoke slowly, wishing above all to smash the man’s face into the floor but knowing he had the upper hand already.  The guy was down - only cowards went after someone who’d already been beaten. “And Clover here is everyone’s favourite.  One word from her and every person in the city will know who you are… and you don’t want that. Five.”

“You piece of trash, you wouldn’t  _ dare _ .”  This time the words were directed towards Clover who, while she was obviously still affected by what had happened, took great pains to not look away.  She stared him down right with Gladio.

“Four.”

“Stop fucking counting!”

“Three.  Are you high?”  Gladio was honestly curious.  He’s never met someone who so clearly had a death wish.  The only conclusion he could make was substance abuse.

“Rahh!”  Inane screaming aside, the man was pulling himself to the wall and trying to stand.  Gladio watched him get up and limp in the direction of the door - one he was going to bar the moment the asshole left.

Clover started to cough as the stress finally caught up with her.  Her hands were pulling at her throat in panic as she tried to summon enough air to hyperventilate.  Gladio went to her side and pulled her into his lap, trusting the shitstain behind him to do the smart thing and leave.

Never turn your back on an opponent.  It was the first rule in any manual.  But Gladio was more concerned with Clover’s safety than anything else, his rage having simmered down to something cool and controlled rather than hot and boiling over.  

There was a loud thud as something hit the wall with great force and a gurgling drawn-out shriek.  Gladio and Clover looked back in shock to see the muzzle of a gun pointed in their direction.  It was pinned to the wall by a startlingly familiar black and silver dagger which, as if waiting for a captive audience, decided to fade into the ether at that moment.  The gun remained pinned to the wall by the force of the dagger throw.  

A familiar voice spoke softly, but with great power. “I believe you were told to leave.  Don’t make me ask you again.”

With no more moves left, the man ran out the nearest exit as fast as his broken leg could carry him.  Gladio hoped he tripped and fell onto something pointy and hard - far away from them of course.  Gladio meant what he said about calling the police - he would have - but things were definitely simpler without their involvement.  

Besides… Gladio had other ways of finding out who hurt Clover if he wanted - if she allowed him to.  He’d let her decide what to do when the time came.

Gladio followed the line of fire to see Ignis standing in the hallway, poised as usual.  His shirt wasn’t tucked in and his hair had lost some of its bounce, but otherwise he looked like he’d just stepped in from a meeting with the King.  Gladio opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, and shaking his head.  Ignis could wait a bit longer.  He’d understand.

Clover was strong, much stronger than Gladio would have expected in such a position.  Angry tears stained her cheeks and her breath rattled through her lungs as she tried to speak.

“He… no appointment. Ca-came in. Told him no one would see h-him.” She swallowed and more tears sprang to her eyes.  “Didn’t take it well.”

“Fucker.” Gladio cussed again, glaring at a smudge of blood on the floor.  

As gently as he could, Gladio pushed Clover’s chin up and inspected the marks on her neck. They were already darkening but there didn’t seem to be any permanent damage - on the outside at least.  She’d have to get checked out at a hospital.  Her saving grace was that she had thought quickly enough to set off the alarm - and that Gladio had heard it.  They were a man down tonight, rare in itself, which meant the other staff would have had to have no music in order to hear the ringing.  Ignis’s desire for relative silence was… in effect, the one bright spot in this shitshow of a situation.

“I’m calling Lyse, gimme your phone.” Ignoring Clover’s protestations, Gladio grabbed the abandoned cell from the desk and dialled Clover’s girlfriend.  Three minutes and one long explanation later, Lyse was fully briefed and was on her way.  Gladio carried Clover to the nearby sofa and lay her down, promising to bring her a glass of water as soon as possible.

Then he turned and ran straight into Ignis.

Ignis who was holding a glass of water as delicately as he could while trying not to topple over from Gladio’s unexpected weight.

Ignis, who sat down with Clover and kept her calm as Gladio set about kicking the rest of the clients out (and offering the ones that were compliant a discount on their next session) because of a ‘sudden emergency’.  Who helped Clover’s girlfriend walk her to a waiting taxi and gifted them a business card in case they ran into any trouble in Emergency. 

Ignis, who helped explain the situation to the other workers (although he said nothing at all to Gladio - none one single word since that threat in room 4) and promised them an update once more was known about Clover’s condition, before subtly giving them the boot from their own workplace.

When the final staff member had left and Gladio locked the one remaining open door behind them, Ignis finally deigned to speak.

“So,” he began, casting an eye upon Gladio as if he suddenly saw him in a new light. “I think we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Gladio kinda worked out that Ignis didn't know a little... I dunno... fast? Not sure if that seems to make sense but I'm sticking with it because I'm shit at drawing things out more than I already am. I'm sorry~~


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I will say outright that I haven't written for a while... and I feel bad about that. Hence, this chapter. It is more of a filler chapter than anything else - nothing really happens other than some backstory so if you hate filler material that doesn't go anywhere... feel free to ignore this. I don't mind!! I just thought I should give y'all something and warn you at the same time.
> 
> The next chapter I write should be The Talk.
> 
> With that in mind... Enjoy!

The Garden didn’t make for a place that Gladio could relax in at the moment, and he really needed to be in fine form to talk to Ignis.  And it just made sense that instead of pulling in to some 24-hour fast food place or coffee shop, they’d go to his apartment to discuss… everything.

However, the car ride back to Gladio’s apartment was neither quiet nor uncomfortable.  They were both lucky Ignis had driven to the Garden (or as close as he could since they had no parking, for privacy reasons) as Gladio really didn’t want to be waiting for public transportation right about now.  And it would be bad - he’d likely still be waiting.  Insomnia was a great city but busses didn’t seem to adhere to any sort of schedule that he could make sense of.  Early, late, never showing up and then appearing one after the other… yeah, having your own car was pretty sweet.

Seemingly without needing to ask, Ignis knew it wasn’t the time or place to talk so he had instead switched on the radio.  Immediately a half rock, half pop song burst through the speakers.  Gladio startled, not suspecting  _ that _ to be what Ignis listened to on a regular basis.

Ignis merely caught his eye and smiled softly, took his hand off the gear stick, and lowered the music to a more tolerable volume. His mannerisms didn’t offer any clearer picture as to whether the music was to his taste or was favoured by someone who often rode with him in the car.

Gladio also realized with a sigh that he didn’t actually know much about Ignis’s likes or dislikes in terms of music.  Not sure why, but that made him kind of sad.

Oddly, even after with what had happened to Clover and with his hand still smarting with the chop he had given Mr. Dickwad (he’d find out the guy’s real name later, calling him increasingly rude things was helping with his mood though), Gladio was feeling pretty chill.  The looming sense of dread that came and went over the past few days was gone.  For better or worse, Ignis knew who he was now and while “we need to talk” sounded plenty ominous, Ignis wasn’t giving off any real  _ I will murder you and no one will ever find your corpse _ vibes.

Small mercies?

Badassery with blades aside, Ignis was taking everything better than expected.  He was smiling, not a huge smile but Gladio wasn’t picky at this point, and even the corners of his eyes were crinkling.  So… real smile, then.  Score.  Maybe he was happy to see Gladio? Maybe he had felt that twinge of recognition and just hadn’t allowed it to grow into something more?

Or maybe, and this was probably more likely, he was thrilled he didn’t have a stalker.

Hearing a chuckle from beside him, Gladio glanced over at Ignis to see the man trying to keep his eyes on the road and failing miserably.

“What?” Gladio couldn’t help but ask.  Ignis didn’t have mind-reading capabilities, right?  Oh Gods, that would be the absolute worst.  Especially because Gladio always seemed to have his mind  _ leap _ into the gutter at the slightest provocation.   _ Don’t think about dicks, don’t think about dicks! _

“You’re humming.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Gladio watched the street lights fly by in the reflection on Ignis’s glasses as he tried in vain to think of something to say that seemed cool.  He gave up and just went with the truth. “Iris loves this song.  She choreographed a dance to it and everything. I… may have learned the moves and lyrics so I could help her out.”  He wasn’t going to be embarrassed by that, not at all.  Nothing wrong with spending some quality time with your family, Ignis probably did shit he didn’t tell everyone about either.

Besides, Noct could be real manipulative when he wanted something badly.  He’d actually roped Gladio in to one of his schemes once - standing in a full-length moogle costume for a chance to win a video game.  Or that’s what Gladio was told, anyway.  Turns out the brat already bought the game and Gladio sweat his balls off for nothing.  Well, not  _ nothing _ .  

He was stationed at one corner of a block in full view of one of the main roads in Insomnia… but also directly across from a children’s hospital.  When the first little kid peered at him through an upper window he just smiled, before face-palming because the kid couldn’t see what he was doing through the costume.  So he danced a bit.  Okay, a lot.  It was actually posted online.

Gladio found out later Prompto was doing the same thing on the opposite end of the block only he  _ knew _ about Noct’s plan.  He just assumed Gladio was doing it for fun, like he was.  Making kids smile was kind of his thing.

Noct got an extra 10 laps around the park for that stunt - Gladio went easy on the kid because he actually had a lot of fun.  Made easier by the fact that no one knew it was him underneath it all.

Although… when Gladio and Prompto had returned to the apartment Ignis was also just getting back and he was a lot sweatier than usual.  Maybe he had been roped into something too.  Only Noct and Ignis knew, and getting a deep secret out of either of them was like pulling teeth.

“You’re very kind.  You must love your sister very much.” Ignis was looking at him again, out of the corner of his eye this time. The glare on his glasses made his eyes look vibrant green in the dim light.  He really did have pretty eyes, wonder if anyone ever told him that before.

“Of course I do.” Gladio said, faking a snort of incredulity.  “She’s the only one I’ve got, gotta treat her right ‘else mom’ll come back and haunt my ass.”  Then Gladio bit his lip.  He hadn’t meant to bring his mother up.  He… didn’t talk about her much.  The wound was still fresh, even after all these years.

“I don’t have any siblings…” Was the reply, slightly sad in tone and meaning.  “Noct is the closest thing.  He can be… disheartening at times, but in the end, even if he were not my charge I would enjoy being with him.” 

Gladio was nodding along with Ignis. “Yup, he’s a twerp but I love him.”

“Indeed.”  Ignis was biting his lip but he didn’t look bothered by the conversation.  Maybe it was just a nervous habit.

The small talk between the two of them died off as they neared their destination.  Gladio made sure to give clear directions so Ignis wouldn’t get lost but he should have known better. Ignis drove Noct all the time, it was silly to think he wouldn’t know how to reach the apartment easily.  And Ignis never got lost, ever.  Gladio was seriously beginning to reconsider his previous thoughts as to Ignis’s mind-reading abilities.

Seriously, it was uncanny sometimes.

Like how during their sushi death game, he always seemed to know which piece of sushi was loaded with wasabi and therefore able to avoid it.  Prompto suffered the most, kid had shit luck.  Or when Noct got sick and said it was just from a bad burger but Ignis forced him to the hospital anyway and it turned out to be something that required hospitalization.  

The radio was finally switched off once the car arrived at the parking blockade.  Gladio didn’t have a car so they used the temporary parking.  That gave them, oh, about an hour and a half before the guard got mad and started calling Gladio’s number repeatedly.  The parking area didn’t see a lot of action so the guards did what they could to keep themselves entertained… and from falling asleep.

Besides, tonight’s Jenu was on duty and he  _ really _ didn’t like Gladio for some reason.  Gladio knew for a fact that he had never done anything to the man - not stepped one foot out of line, not been unintentionally impolite, but every time he said hello he got a curt nod in return, with a hint of a curl of the guy’s upper lip.  Maybe Jenu just didn’t like tattoos?  

So of course the moment that Ignis and Gladio went to sign the car in, Jenu was polite and jovial and just  _ unnaturally happy. _  Gladio was happy he chose to bite his tongue in the car and not warn Ignis about what might transpire because it definitely would have seemed like Gladio was the one at fault. Super weird.

Although once in the elevator and after Gladio had pressed the button for his floor, he did manage to catch a glare from Jenu just as the doors closed.  Yup, same as ever.  Must have not wanted to show his true face around Ignis for some reason.  And Gladio knew, he just  _ knew _ , that while most guards gave the visitors a few extra minutes of leeway between when their pass expired and when they had to leave, that this jackass would be blowing up his intercom the millisecond he could.  

Douche.

Gladio was happy that he had chosen to clean his apartment, especially because he could tell that Ignis was pleased by the slight creasing around his eyes.  It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was a natural reaction and that Gladio really wanted to see more of.  Ignis was so guarded most of the time, expecting the worst or at least planning for it, that such gestures were really special.  And having Ignis at ease around him… that was just something that would take time, but that Gladio was willing to work towards.

He was also pleased to note that he didn’t even have to ask Ignis to remove his shoes before moving further into his house.

When Gladio went into the kitchen to get them both some water to drink (partially because he would feel better holding something while talking) Ignis vanished.  Gladio had planned for them both to sit at the kitchen table and speak - less comfortable but far more proper than casually sprawling across his large bed. It seemed like Ignis was in a different sort of mood.

Gladio raised an eyebrow because Ignis certainly had made himself comfortable.  Leaning against the headboard, legs folded in front of him and hands relaxed, Ignis looked like he belonged just right there, always.  He extended an arm when Gladio moved closer and took his drink, taking a small sip to be polite before patting the space beside him and moving a foot or so to the side.

“Come on and sit down.” Ignis teased, sounding more and more like he was the one in charge - like this was his house and Gladio was the shy guest. “I won’t bite.”

Gladio settled into the warmth leftover from Ignis’s body and squished his bulk down so he wasn’t unintentionally touching the other man, who of course made things difficult by not moving any further away.  Almost like he wanted… anyway.  And Gladio had to hold himself back from making any flirtatious comments to the tune of  _ I wish you would. _

“So… massages?”

“Yup…” And they began to talk, honestly.  And finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is just something about having a mini-person around that makes writing hard. That and I'm replaying FFX and FFX-2 so ... time is being sucked away for awesome, yet not writing, things. Sorry (but also not sorry because I love FF!)
> 
> Hope it takes me less than a month to get to the next chapter, but who knows. :( Don't hate me!
> 
> <3333


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be some inconsistencies because I haven't written this fic for a little while and I don't want to read 39 pages to find out if I did, indeed, include some trivial detail that was important to this chapter or not. I'm sorrrrry. So if anyone does find something irritatingly obvious I APOLOGIZE and lemme know and I'll fix it. xD

In contrast to their easy-going communication in the car, finally being alone with Ignis - no radio, no other distractions, no people to be seen with a slight glance out the window - made Gladio clam up a bit inside.  Ignis had initiated, which was fantastic because Gladio wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to bring up the very uncomfortable behemoth in the room. The only other thing almost as awkward as him, at least.

But the other sensed Gladio’s obvious attempts at hiding how flustered he was and took it all in stride.

Gladio had brought them both to his apartment with a plan in mind - a good plan, a smart plan, one that would end with him seeming less like a creep and more like a good friend underneath a muscle-head exterior.

But when Ignis asked about his past-time, well… aside from acknowledging the fact that, yes, he did it (which was obvious because Ignis was  _ there _ so it was kind of a no-brainer) no other words came to him.  On the one hand he didn’t really owe Ignis an explanation and on the other, he really, really did.

Thankfully Ignis let the topic flutter off into the ether and steered them in a different direction until Gladio was feeling more up to discussing what had brought them together.  The man truly was remarkable. 

“I was there, you know.” Ignis spoke quietly as he swirled his glass and watched the errant lemon seeds twist and turn to their heart’s content.  Gladio was just lucky the lemon he found at the back of his vegetable drawer wasn’t ancient. (He felt silly just bringing them both tap water, felt the need to spruce it up as best he could and Ignis hadn’t complained.)

“What do you mean?” Gladio asked, confused.  They’d been sharing stupid stories about Noct in his youth while Gladio was building up his courage. “What there?”

“What you told me in the car - when Noct tricked you become an unwitting entertainer for dozens of bored drivers and likely hundreds of miserable children.  I was there as well, it wasn’t just you and Prompto.”

“Ah.”  It stood to reason that Ignis would have been around, come to think about it.  Noct probably had to run everything by him first to make sure that nothing would be traced back to the Crown, or to make sure Gladio didn’t flake out and run away when he wasn’t being monitored.

“I was in charge of signage.” Ignis tilted the glass to his lips and Gladio could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.  The final swipe of a tongue across the rim of the glass was probably just to prevent any drips. Certainly not for anyone else’s benefit. Gladio couldn’t help but hope the opposite.

Ignis talked for a living.  His tongue was talented in more ways than one.

Gladio still didn’t get it. “Signs? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Reading signs truly isn’t your forte, is it.” Ignis muttered to himself and then, a bit louder, “Did you not wonder why there was so much traffic on that street?  I was… instructed to direct people to your location. Likely because Noct really wanted to embarrass you. He was, by the way, rather put out when he found out you weren’t.”

Gladio laughed, and the rich sound boomed in the quiet room.  Ignis smiled along with him and Gladio felt his heart swell when he saw those green eyes stare at him with something other than mild interest.  He felt tingly all over and much more comfortable. Somehow. Even he didn’t know how that worked but it did and suddenly he didn’t mind talking about Ignis about anything at all.

“I like helping people.”  He began simply. Ignis nodded as if that was the worst kept secret in Eos but didn’t interrupt.  “This Shield thing… I wouldn’t change my life for the world, but it is a duty. I was chosen, I never got to say yes or no.  And while that pissed me off at first - a  _ lot, _ let me tell you - I’ve gotten used to it and I’m proud of what I do.  But it also means I’m always keeping parts of myself hidden, especially from you guys.”

Ignis rolled his shoulder into Gladio’s in a friendly gesture akin to a fist bump from Prompto, if Gladio had to compare.  His glass was empty and Gladio was just about to offer to get him something else to drink when Ignis got on his knees and leaned across the bed to place the glass on a computer table nearby.  Ignis was long, but the table was within reach - it just required a little extra stretch. 

Gladio took the opportunity to stare unabashedly at Ignis’s ass.  He couldn’t see Ignis’s face though he thought he could sense a smirk but when Ignis returned to his seat his expression was innocently blank.  Gladio tried to rearrange the folds on his pants through sheer force of will because there was no way he wanted Ignis to see him sporting a very ill-timed boner. Or try to fix it and draw more attention. 

Ignis was either upping the ante in terms of teasing or Gladio needed to beat off more.

“Helping other people - people who didn’t know me - makes me feel good.  It helps me relax, if that makes any sense. And even though I can’t really pick who shows up… not everyone is a giant dick like the guy tonight.  There are a lot of people who just want to vent, or just want to be a bit vulnerable without their employees or other people knowing. Innocent people, powerful people… we’re all the same in the end.  We all need someone.”

“Truer words have never been spoken, Gladio.”

There was silence once more, but it wasn’t awkward this time.  Gladio wanted to continue and apologize about being a jerk over and over again, but something told him Ignis had already forgiven him.  Maybe it was the way Ignis’s shoulders were less tense. Maybe it was the way his fingers beat a rhythmic beat against his leg.

Maybe it was the way his head rested gently on Gladio’s shoulder, more forward than he’d ever been before.  Gladio didn’t want to breathe, didn’t want to do anything to disturb this moment. He wanted to savour this physical contact - their first that didn’t come with a film of deception or duty.

“Did you know that I have a eidetic memory?” 

Gladio snorted.  Of course Ignis would have a photographic memory, that would be the only other thing that would literally make him more perfect.  “Makes sense. Why bring it up now though?”

“Well…” Ignis paused and for the first time that night seemed uncertain. “My point is I remember everything we’ve ever discussed.  From your less than pleasant first words about me - something about my ass and a large stick, I’ll let you work out the rest - to our more recent conversations in a more… secluded environment.”

Gladio paled.  Shit. “So you knew who I was the whole time? You know my voice, right?  Did--” 

“I did not know you were taking care of me, no.” Ignis interrupted smoothly, thankfully before Gladio could say anything else.  “I know your voice but how could I even have begun to connect the man I worked with, that fascinating yet infuriating man, with the man who relaxed my body in ways I never knew possible?” 

Ignis was really overdoing it with the double meanings and Gladio was beginning to suspect he was in the dark about something important by this stage.

“But that’s not precisely what I meant.” His voice was soft and calm, in direct contrast to Gladio’s rapidly beating heart.

Here it was, Gladio’s duplicitousness during the massage the other night.  What exactly had he said? He couldn’t even remember, which made things so much worse.  The words  _ I’m sorry _ came unbidden into his throat and he opened his mouth to release the torrent of apologies that he knew he owed the other man.

“You know I find you attractive.” Ignis gave Gladio  _ a look _ through long lashes and suddenly Gladio felt like he was drowning.  In the best way. Those eyes should have come with a warning because Gladio couldn’t look away.

Ignis held his gaze a moment longer before pursing his lips and looking at his toes.  Gladio could see them wiggle out of the corner of his eye but couldn’t bear to turn his head and miss a chance at those eyes looking back towards him.

“Is that why you’ve been increasingly uncomfortable around me?  I assure you that I’m perfectly capable of controlling myself. You don’t think I would throw myself at you like a coeurl in heat, do you?”

“Yes.” Ignis couldn’t disguise the hurt in his eyes.  And Gladio couldn’t believe his big, fat mouth. What?! Fuck! Why did he say that? No. No! 

“No!” Gladio got out after a moment that felt like forever.  

“Explain.”  There was a hint of a chill coming from Ignis and Gladio realized that the other man was retreating, the long legs and hips that had been a warm, reassuring presence were pulling back and unless Gladio could fix things, Ignis might not give him another chance.

“Shit, Ignis, sorry I…” Gladio squirmed in his seat and made a last ditch attempt to stop Ignis’s movement.  Unfortunately, the hand used to grab at a fleeing elbow misjudged the distance and Gladio got a warm handful of thigh instead.  Nope, Gladio definitely didn’t expect Ignis to be moving up rather than over… but it got Ignis to stop meaning the gesture wasn’t entirely all for naught.

Ignis had been trying to crawl over Gladio’s outstretched legs and to the safety of the open room beyond, but he was motionless at present.  Gladio could see green eyes track down to where his hand lay, and back up to his face. There was a question evident in Ignis’s expression but he wasn’t running away anymore and, even better, he wasn’t flicking Gladio off his leg like an irritating insect.  He sat back on his heels and allowed Gladio’s hand to remain where it was.

He was waiting.

“Explain yourself, Gladio.”  There was an unspoken  _ please _ that somehow,  _ somehow,  _ Gladio could make out.  Maybe it was just wishful thinking but no, there were too many things happening and the Gods weren’t this benevolent.  

In truth, they were the dickiest of dicks.

“Iggy… yes, I have been uncomfortable around you and  _ yes _ , I know you would never do anything like that.  But you haven’t done a damn thing wrong - I’m the one who owes you an explanation. It’s just… hard.”

“I see.” But Gladio couldn’t help but notice a minute downwards glance and a faint smile briefly cross Ignis’s features.  Gladio could have sworn his pants were loose enough to hide the effect Ignis’s ass had on him.

Fuck, was Gladio an exhibitionist or something because surely the embarrassment should be making him soft, not harder.  

Gods-damn it, absolute honesty was all he had left.  His dignity was pretty much in tatters anyway.

“I--” Gladio searched for the right words before he realized that had been his whole problem all along: overthinking.  “I like you.”

Ignis cocked his head to one side and continued to stare unblinkingly into Gladio’s eyes.  Probably not the best time to bring up that he looked like sex on a stick. Especially not when those daggers could materialize in an instant and end the Amicitia line.

Gladio took a deep breath.  “I like you, Ignis. A lot. More than a lot, a fucking fuckton - if you’ll pardon the language.”  Ignis always did comment on how Gladio would have been well suited for a life at sea with a mouth like his.  

“And I’m awkward as hell because, damn it all, I work with you!  This isn’t just some simple dick-and-dash type situation, it’s complicated and then you talk or I talk and inevitably one of us ends up pissing off the other with something  _ stupid _ and then we end up hating each other for a few days and… that’s the way it’s been for years.   _ Years, Iggy. _ If I had to choose being your friend or potentially screwing the pooch, I’d rather keep you in my spank bank and try the ‘be civil’ option.”

There was a snort of derision from above. Gladio’s face had fallen so he couldn’t tell if it was a defense mechanism or sorts or if Ignis didn’t believe a damn word he was saying.  He tightened his grip on Ignis’s leg and felt the muscle beneath his palm tense momentarily.

“If this is what you call ‘being polite’, I’d hate to be your enemy.”

Gladio rolled his eyes and looked up.  Ignis’s eyes had grown dim but he didn’t look angry just...  sad.

“You’re the only person I act like this with, I don’t have a clue why. And you don’t have to tell me it sucks, I know it does.  We’re such opposites, I feel like everything I do gets under your skin.”

“Opposites attract.”

“They do.” Gladio agreed, a little more hopeful.  He closed his eyes to gather strength and reopened them slowly.  Had Ignis moved closer?

“Basically… I’m not trying to be a jerk. Really.  I just can’t stop thinking about you - it got worse when I accidently grabbed your dick and now instead of just jacking off at night when the mood hit, I’m stuck thinking about you all the time.  And I wanted to be helpful and offer you a place to stay even if you hated me because you really are a good person and I wanted to be your friend. As cheesy as that sounds.”

Yup, Ignis was closer for sure.  Was he a ghost? He didn’t even look like he was moving a muscle.

“You just want to be my friend?”

“Well,” Gladio couldn’t help the small smirk that crept across his face.  Inopportune timing, as per usual when Ignis was involved. “Not only that.”

“So.” And Gladio could feel two surprisingly cool palms cup his cheeks. “What you’re telling me is, in so few words, that you’re as irrational as you are attractive?”

“Only when it comes to you.” Nice counter, Gladio.

“I feel special.”

“You are.” Gladio released Ignis’s leg and brought the hand up to cover Ignis’s on his cheek. “And I’m a coward.  Only when it comes to you.”

“Indeed.”  Ignis’s free hand was idly rubbing at the stubble on Gladio’s cheeks.  Looked like in his haste to get everything ready during the day, Gladio had forgotten to shave.  Oops. Still... felt really good. 

“So all of this awkward back and forth between us, the constant tense exchanges and miscommunications… could have been solved ages ago if we’d just shut our mouths?”

Gladio felt his brow furrow in confusion.  Just what was Ignis--

The soft, tentative brush of lips against his own threatened to detail Gladio’s whole train of thought.  His brain melted in an instant and his eyes shut in the bliss of someone who’d waited for so long for something they never expected to come true.

True to his words, Ignis’s mouth was shut.  The kiss was chaste and honest, but full of emotion and unspoken feelings.  Gladio never wanted it to end, even though it was a far cry from anything he’d ever pictured involving those lips.

Ignis pulled back and Gladio couldn’t stop his disappointment from showing.  He chased and with great pleasure found those lips that had haunted his dreams for years.  

He didn’t hold back. Neither did Ignis.

Their mouths weren’t closed now and although Gladio had always detested sloppiness in everyday life, the biting and sucking and licking that now occupied his mind made him seriously rethink his outlook on life.

They both withdrew when air became a pressing concern.  Ignis’s eyes were sparkling with an inner fire and Gladio assumed his were doing the same.  The kiss wasn’t perfect by any means, and if anything that made Gladio even happier. If practice made perfect then they both required a lot of it, and Gladio was willing to make that sacrifice a thousand times over, if the need arose.  And he hoped it did.

They both stared at each other, neither one able to think of a single appropriate thing to say to break the silence.  So instead, because Lady Luck wasn’t on either of their sides, Gladio’s wall started to beep. To be more accurate, the intercom beside the door started to sound and really, at this hour, it could only be one person.

The look on Gladio’s face must have said it all because Ignis placed his index finger against Gladio’s lips and mouthed  _ ‘wait’  _ before lazily making his way over to the most irritating piece of technology in the whole world.

Ignis cleared his throat. “Yes?”

“Uh…” Gladio knew that hoarse voice anywhere. It was Jenu.  Clearly he wasn’t expecting Ignis to answer. “It’s, ah, the guard from the parking lot.”

“Jenu, yes. How can I help you?”  Ignis was being painfully polite but Jenu seemed to lap it up.

“Mr. Ignis.” Gladio snorted.  Not once did Jenu ever address him so politely.  Not to mention there wasn’t that telltale paper flipping noise that indicated the guard was reading the name off the sign-in sheet.  Creeper must have memorized Ignis’s name for whatever reason. “Sir, I’m afraid to tell you that your time in visitor parking is up. You must collect your vehicle and leave the premises as soon as possible.  Um… please.”

Gladio got off the bed, readjusted himself while he was sure Ignis couldn’t see, and made his way over to his companion.  He ended up leaning against the cold wall, staring judgingly at the intercom with all the irritation he could muster. Ignis ignored him, which wasn’t unexpected.

“Thank you for letting me know. I will be down shortly.”  Ignis answered smoothly, as if Jenu wasn’t the absolute worst and this wasn’t the most horrendous timing in the history of time.

There was a click as Ignis switched off the intercom and Gladio suddenly realized that he had to say goodbye and really didn’t… know how to proceed.  They’d basically gone from 0 to 60 in five seconds flat and Gladio wasn’t sure what that meant for the both of them. Should he play it cool? Suggest they do this again soon in a joking but-not-joking kind of way? 

Ignis spoke first, taking charge like he had been all evening.  Not for nothing, but Gladio secretly liked that. As Shield people usually expected him to be the boss and direct without pause or concern.  Not having to do that, even for a short while, was a veritable breath of fresh air.

“I suppose I should get going.”

“Yup, Jenu can get real grumpy if he’s kept waiting.” 

Ignis nodded even though he clearly didn’t understand Gladio’s problem with the man.  And then… nothing. They stood in silence, neither wanting to be the one to initiate the actual goodbye.  It wasn’t like they wouldn’t see each other again soon, but breaking apart now seemed physically painful.

Gladio shook himself and reasoned that the sooner Ignis was gone, the sooner they’d be able to see each other again.  In made sense, in an odd sort of way, and Gladio was willing to cling to that simple twist of logic in order to proceed.

“I’ll walk you to your car.” He said, moving forward and gripping the door handle.

“No need.” Ignis replied.

“I’m trying to be a gentleman.  Make up for how I acted in the past.”

Ignis rocked his hips and fell against the door with a muffled thump, just barely allowing Gladio time to retract his hand.  “Gladio, you’re exhausted. You’ve dealt with much more today than I have. You need  _ rest. _ I will be fine, but if you’d like I will send you a message once I reach my home.”

“That’d be nice, actually.”

“Good.  Now you take care of yourself,” He tapped Gladio on the forehead with the tip of his finger, before dragging it down across Gladio’s chest and pausing in the air right in front of the button on Gladio’s pants before continuing, “and this, for me.  It’s very enticing and I really should be getting some rest of my own.”

Gladio took a step forward and Ignis’s finger hit something solid and decidedly not unimpressive.  “You sure you can’t stay just a bit longer?”

Ignis hesitated. “The guard…”

“Fuck Jenu.”

“Not my type.” Ignis shot back, but his tired eyes betrayed a hint of amusement.  “You’re making this rather hard for me, Gladio.”

“Figured it was only polite to share, Ignis.”

With a tiny smirk, Ignis removed his hand from Gladio’s pants, but not before caressing the sizeable bump with his knuckles.

“Until next time.” Ignis shot forward and pressed another kiss to Gladio’s flesh, his cheek this time.  And then he was out of the apartment and down the hall before Gladio had even had time to process what had happened.  By the time Gladio recovered his senses he could hear the quiet  _ ding _ of the elevator arriving and knew he didn’t have enough time to catch up.

Gladio settled for letting his body switch to autopilot and closing the door, locking it behind him, and collecting the used glasses from his room.  He didn’t even remember placing his glass on the floor but there it was, innocently kept out of the way - like Gladio’s body somehow knew what was going to happen before it actually did.

He had just finished brushing his teeth when there was a knock at his door.  And then another one. Insistent bugger, whoever it was.

Gladio ran a hand through his hair and decided against putting on a shirt.  He slept half-naked most days, if some idiot was going to bother him this late at night they could deal with the consequences.

He yanked open the door with minimal effort and opened his mouth to say something he hoped his tired brain wouldn’t somehow fumble when he suddenly had his arms full.

“Ignis? Wha--”

Ignis pushed inside and kicked the door closed behind him.  His face was alight with that little smile Gladio found so delicious.  As they tumbled back into Gladio’s recently cleaned bedroom, Ignis whispered right into Gladio’s ear.

“I found street parking.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abrupt ending? Mebbe. But I like to think that it was a decent one. :)
> 
> Hope you all are enjoying this so far! I'm not sure how many more chapters I have but... I'll say perhaps no more than 10?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter but I just liked the way it ended so I figured I'd post it as is. I'm uploading the next chapter as well so don't hate meeeeeee~

To the casual observer, it was just a kiss.  But to Gladio, it was so much more.

Yes, they’d already kissed once - twice if you counted the timid one Ignis had gifted.  But that, and the very lustful one that Gladio had returned, were born of uncertainty. Fragility.  A longing so deep it cut through their very souls.

… So it sounded like romantic garbage when put like that, but basically speaking: frantic.  Neither of them had really known how the other would react and they’d just let their base instincts take over.  It was good - they  _ were _ good, but there was no confusion now, no frenzy taking hold of their blood-starved brains.

They could take their time with this kiss.

Tomorrow was Sunday which meant that, unlike most Insomnia citizens, neither Ignis nor Gladio had the luxury of sleeping in and exploring each other’s bodies at a leisurely pace.  The Marshal had decided that a council meeting was the perfect thing to wake people up on a lazy weekend morning which meant that everyone - including Noctis and Prompto - were going to be cranky as sin come daybreak.

Cor had duty inscribed in his very bones, he probably didn’t even realize that Sundays were for fun and not work.  Gladio also thought, secretly and deep down, that Cor really needed to get laid. It would probably do amazing things for his personality.  For all that he’d heard of younger Cor, headstrong and impulsive and brash, this current version was certainly quite different. Maybe he missed adventuring with the King and his Shield?  Whatever the reason was, Gladio was about  _ this _ close to accepting that Noct’s slightly inappropriate plan of getting Cor a girl (or a guy, whichever floated the Immortal’s boat) and abandoning them at a haven was a brilliant scheme.

The main takeaway was that although Gladio and Ignis were finally alone with no bothering influences looming over their heads… they really needed to sleep.  Fucking could wait. Gladio didn’t want to wait, but it had to. Not to mention that he and Ignis hadn’t even had  _ that _ discussion yet.  Maybe Ignis didn’t bottom?  The easy solve there was that Gladio willingly would.  Maybe he had no interest in penetration? ...that might pose difficult but definitely workable.  But those were questions for later.

The kiss came first.  Invisible hourglass hanging over their heads or not, Gladio wanted it to last as long as possible.  Who needed to breathe when one was basically floating on a cloud of happiness?

Ignis had pulled off his shirt before Gladio had even shut the apartment door… which was a very nice thing to do.  Especially since that meant Gladio didn’t have to worry about where exactly Ignis’s mind was.

Gladio had catapulted the both of them to the bed, intending to lie atop Ignis and grind until they’d both been satisfyingly unwound.  But the moment his knees touched the top of the bed, Ignis made some crazy ninja move and reversed their position. He was the one who traced Gladio’s lips with a steady fingertip, brought their mouths together in a searing kiss, stuck his knee against Gladio’s throbbing cock and rocked until there was no question whatsoever that clean underwear was necessary.

But hey, in a city that was protected by massive statues of ancient kings and was occasionally the target of assault by literal Gods, laundry machines could work miracles less time than it would take to boil an egg.

Neither Gladio nor Ignis ended up seeing the other completely naked. Part of Gladio was upset at that, long having awaited this very moment, but he knew that the morning’s activities were flitting in the corner of Ignis’s mind as well.  Better to leave the nudity and ravishing for when they both could enjoy it. Gladio didn’t mind waiting. And with the cat out of the bag on the ‘who was attracted to who’ concern, he could probably tease Ignis with no guilt.

Besides, watching Ignis having to hide an unexpected boner in a meeting, surrounded by friends and authority figures alike?  Very delectable idea. And if Ignis decided to take his frustration out on Gladio once everyone had left, who was he to complain?

Gladio had peeled off his sodden boxers and tossed them in the laundry basket, walking naked to his drawer to pull out a new pair before marching to the bathroom to clean himself up with a towel.  He saw Ignis begin to remove his underwear out of the corner of his eye but decided against peeking. Privacy mattered in a new relationship, if that was, in fact, what this was. And Gladio was not going to jeopardize anything, not when he was this close to having Ignis… and giving himself fully as well.

When Gladio came back into the room, fully clean and more or less clothed he found Ignis wearing a pair of sparring pants.  It was obviously from the size, if not the fact that Ignis didn’t bring any change of clothing with him, that they were Gladio’s.  And although Ignis was less muscular and less bulky than Gladio, the pants fit him fairly well. A little low on the hips, perhaps.  Not that Gladio would ever complain about being able to see  _ more _ of Ignis.

“I brought you a towel to clean yourself up with.” Gladio said, brandishing a damp white cloth.  He saw a used looking handkerchief hanging from Ignis’s fingers just as he passed it over. “Unless… you don’t need it?”

Ignis shrugged and looked apologetic.  “I wanted to clean myself off before everything dried.  I hope you don’t mind laundering this with your darks?”

Heh. Darks, lights… Ignis  _ would _ actually listen to clothing instructions and clean everything separately.  Gladio didn’t care much about all that - did everything together. Hadn’t even had an incident except for that time he forgot a pair of Iris’s bright red gloves were in his pockets… He’d needed a new wardrobe after that setback.

Wait a second… Wait a  _ second. _  Ignis changed, Ignis needed to wash before changing.  The only other source of water would have been the kitchen since Gladio was using the bathroom so that meant…

“Did you walk around my kitchen in the buff?”

“Well,” Ignis began, tilting his head in curiosity. “How else did you expect me to clean up?  It’s hardly worth it doing the acrobatics to keep my clothing on while at the same time attempting to keep my various parts from sticking to each other.  And after what we’d just done… I didn’t expect you’d mind.”

“No- No!” Gladio said, stumbling over his own words. “Not at all. I’m sorry it took me so long. I should have given you the bathroom first.”  But all he could think about was naked Ignis stumbling about after some loving morning sex, so intent on getting some juice to refresh himself that he didn’t even realize his state of undress.  

_ Mmmmmm. _

Or Gladio propping Ignis up on the counter, his long, pale legs cradled upon Gladio’s broad shoulders as he enjoyed a blowjob.  Maybe pressed against the fridge, hopefully a sturdy thing, and eaten out to within an inch of his life. Yes please.

Gladio’s dick gave a healthy twitch and he shuddered at the heated images rushing through his mind.  He forced himself to think of unsexy things to bring himself back down from the brink.

_ Prom’s sunburnt and peeling skin after yet another day he refused to wear sunscreen.  Clarus’s garulet-in-the-headlights look as Gladio walked in on Iris painting his toenails fluorescent purple.  One of the Kingsglaive’s anal acoustics after one too many burpees. _

Pause. Breathe. Check. Much better.

Ignis’s eyes had a crafty look to them as he examined Gladio’s expression in silence.  It was possible, quite possible, the advisor knew exactly what Gladio was thinking. But that was a discussion for another day.

“Sorry, spaced out a bit.  Time for bed?” Gladio coughed into his hand and turned the lights off.  The dimmer lights in the kitchen flicked on immediately so there was no fear of tripping over each other while climbing into bed.  Gladio was happy he didn’t have to feign politeness by offering to sleep on the couch (which he didn’t have) and give Ignis the bed.

Something told Gladio that Ignis wasn’t much of a cuddler so he made sure to keep his distance.  He checked that his alarm was set on his phone before shoving it underneath his pillow, happy that for once his absolute love for soft and fluffy things ensured he had plenty for guests.  And bedmates. Ignis made a great show of setting at least three separate alarms, all for ungodly hours, before pushing his phone under his pillow as well.

Gladio felt like he had to say something, especially since Ignis had turned to face him.  They lay in silence for what felt like an eternity before Gladio decided that simple was best.

“Night Iggy.  See you in the morning. Love ya.”  Gladio squeezed his eyes shut and felt his heart skip a beat as he realized what he’d just said.  Days and weeks and years of saying goodnight to his father and sister had made those final words routine.  Only now that he said them did he understand how Ignis could totally flip and take everything the wrong way.  Not to mention Gladio didn’t even know how he really, really felt about Ignis. His heart began to race as he, the man who could rush headfirst into a battle with a rabid behemoth, freaked out over mere words.

But Ignis didn’t seem to mind.

“Goodnight Gladio.  Love you too.” 

Of course that set off a whole new set of radars blaring in Gladio’s skull while Ignis quickly fell into a deep sleep.  His soft breathing was a welcome distraction from Gladio’s swirling thoughts.

Somewhere in the world a God was laughing at him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not good at writing anyone other than Gladio so I apologize for the astounding out of character-ness of most of the people I include in my fics. I love each and every one of you for not calling me out on it. <3

Even with all their alarms set, it was only the last one that finally woke them both up.  They still had time to get to the meeting, Ignis was always thinking ahead, but as it was they didn’t have time to make breakfast.  Gladio grabbed a few breakfast bars from a cupboard to eat on the way, passing two over to Ignis as well. 

Gladio chose to ignore the smirk that he got in return as Ignis noticed the bars were the ‘mini chocolate chip’ variety.  

Usually Gladio would nab a bus or, if he was super late and really couldn’t afford to be glared down by Cor, a taxi.  This time, however, Ignis had a car. Which meant Gladio was going to be saving some gil  _ and  _ arrive on time.  Not that he really  _ needed _ to save money with how much he and his family had, but it was the principle of the thing.  

Gladio figured he should probably offer to pay for his share of the gas but by the time he thought about it, they were arriving.  Either Iggy drove damn fast or Gladio’s usual bus was slower than Noct at a salad bar.

Gladio didn’t think much about how his arrival would be viewed.  He wasn’t habitually late, usually making it just in time. Maybe with a few minutes to spare?  But here he was, Sunday morning, walking in a good 20 minutes ahead of time and with  _ Ignis _ , of all people.

He could feel Cor staring him down.  He caught his father’s gaze before seeing the man send a pointed look towards the King.  Something in that felt significant but Gladio wasn’t sure what. Maybe they thought that Ignis’s punctuality was finally rubbing off on him.  Well, there was a lot of rubbing, Gladio couldn’t deny that. As for rubbing (one) off  _ on _ him… there was plenty of time for that the next time they met.

Thankfully before either he or Ignis could be questioned (it was clearly on the tips of everyone’s tongues), Prompto dashed in pulling Noct along with him.  The three Crownsguard and their Prince joined up and began talking about this and that. Gladio barely participated, but he welcomed the distraction anyway.

The meeting ended up being long and relatively boring.  Unfortunately it was also important news regarding the war effort so Gladio (and the others, of course) were forced to pay attention.  Gladio felt himself almost drifting off in places before Ignis, with a well placed flick to the elbow,  woke him back up.

When the meeting ended, Gladio was overjoyed.  Secretly of course, although he was almost sure that Cor could hear the uptick in his heartbeat because the man was just  _ that good. _  Yet again, however, nothing came of Gladio’s worries.  Cor went off with the King and Gladio’s dad, probably discussing something related to Noct since they kept looking his way.

With the business of the day over with, Gladio was  _ this _ close to grabbing Ignis by the wrist and pulling him off into the gardens to finally spend some quality time together.  Fate was, however, not on their side.

“Specs, you busy today?” Noctis asked with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.  Clearly he was hoping the answer was a solid no.

And Ignis, of course, delivered.  “No, I am free as of this moment…” Ignis let his voice trail off as he sent a look of apology to Gladio.  Ignis hid it better than Gladio, but it was pretty clear that he also wished to continue the events of the previous night.

“Cool.  You think you could drive Prompto and me to the arcade? There’s some special edition Justice Monster Five machines that were revealed today and we  _ need _ to play it before some other chumps hog them all.”

Ignis looked a bit pained.  Gladio would be too, having to drive downtown, on a Sunday, during prime shopping time, with two guys who just wanted to play video games.  It was Ignis’s job, but  _ still. _  Not to mention that with all the crowds about, it was pretty likely that there wouldn’t be any parking available so Iggy would end up sitting outside just… waiting.  

Gladio wasn’t a huge fan of the arcade but an excuse to spend time with Ignis?  He needed to get in on that.

“Hey Noct, mind if I tag--”

“Gladio, a moment?” Clarus’s voice cut in smoothly. Gladio bit his cheek in irritation but turned towards his father.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I was--” Clarus winced at the sudden burst of laughter from Prompto.  Noct had shown him something on his phone and the two of them were cackling.  Gladio was curious, but not enough to want to irritate his dad by contributing to the noise.  “Over here, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Clarus led Gladio outside the room and to the nearby balcony overlooking the gardens.  As the door shut behind them Gladio was immediately struck by how silent this area of the Citadel was.

It was amazing that they could be standing in the heart of the city, the hub of power thrumming all around them, and hear nothing.  As much as Gladio loved people and talking and  _ living _ , there was nothing quite like being away from it all to remind him of its importance.  

It took Gladio a moment to collect himself.  He faced his father, whose stern features had softened slightly as interruptions vanished, and smiled.

“Sorry, go ahead.”

“You seem different today, Gladio.” Clarus stated. “Does it have something to do with you and Mr. Scientia arriving together?”

Gladio chose not to answer, innocent smile plastered on his face in lieu of words.  Clarus could take that any way he wanted. “What do you need me for?”

Clarus let the matter drop without any further hesitation.  “I need your help with training. Or rather, Cor does.”

“Of course  _ sir _ , anything.”  Gladio couldn’t help but tease a little though, how could he not with that wording? Noct’s jokes danced into his mind before he could shut them off.   _ Does the Marshal need some guidance?  Spreading his legs further apart might help with his thrust. _

Clarus pursed his lips and quirked an eyebrow. He crossed his arms over his chest and Gladio marvelled at how something so small could be so intimidating.  Wait, why was he… fucking shit, Gladio, you’re supposed to  _ think _ these things, not say them! 

“There is nothing I need to hear  _ less _ about than the Marshal’s love life.  His sexual proclivities are none of my concern, nor are they yours.”

But instead of the tongue lashing Gladio was afraid was coming, Clarus sighed and his frustrated air vanished.

“Relax Gladio, I know you’re joking.  I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’ve just listened to Regis speak many times on the subject and I’m  _ quite _ finished hearing about it.”  

That was clear enough.  Nodding to show he understood and would be respectful, Gladio motioned for his father to continue.

“We’ve had some issues training the Kingsglaive recently, and it’s putting undue pressure on Cor and... Titus.”  Clarus bit away a grimace and Gladio understood without anything else needing to be said. Cor was his dad’s friend and had been for many years.  He could be grumpy and a killjoy at times, but he was a genuinely caring person. 

Titus Drautos was a combination of all Eos’s grouchy quota mixed in with a little bitterness, just to make things even worse.  Gladio didn’t like him. The man was talented, strong, proven… but something just felt off.

“Sir?”  Politeness was key, even with family.  Especially when this talk was work related. “How can I help?”

“You have a remarkable ability to say just what someone needs to hear, even if they don’t necessarily  _ want _ to hear it.  I need that. I need someone the Glaives can see as a friend and mentor rather than an authority figure.  Cor is respected - feared at times as much as Titus - and as such, it is hard for the both of them to connect with everyone.”

Gladio nodded.  It was true, Cor had a damn good reputation so it was pretty likely that any new initiates were trying to impress him rather then take it slow.  Gladio used to do it too, back when he didn’t know Cor as well as he did now. But Cor didn’t care how well someone performed if it hurt them (or others) in the end.

“You know I’m available whenever you need me.” But secretly Gladio was whispering over and over  _ just not today, not today, not toda-- _

“Perfect.  Be at the training hall in an hour.”

Gladio couldn’t help letting out a heavy sigh.  “You know,” He started bluntly. “The trainees might like you all bit better if you didn’t make them do drills on the weekend.”

Clarus snorted through his nose as he turned away. “I don’t need them to like us, I need them to listen.  I’m perfectly fine with leaving the popularity to you.” The great doors to the meeting room opened and the rest of the participants streamed out.  “I’m counting on you, Gladio. Don’t let me down.”

And then he was gone, long legs taking him quickly to the King’s side as Cor, Gladio’s father, and King Regis vanished down one of the many hallways to talk amongst themselves.  King Regis, who hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise the whole meeting, nodded solemnly at Gladio as he turned the corner.

That dignified impression of his superiors vanished a few moments later when Gladio received a text message from Cor containing two simple words.   _ Rough night? _

Gladio wanting to melt into the floor.  He didn’t know how, but Cor  _ knew. _  Which meant King Regis probably did too.

This was too much for this early in the morning.  Gladio shook his head soundly and went to rejoin his friends.  He explained the circumstances, tried not to look too put out when only Ignis patted him on the shoulder in consolation, and made his way to the lower levels to get ready for his new assignment.

And when, a few hours later, Gladio was finally finished - exhausted, sweaty, and talked-out, he mentally cursed Cor for getting him into the whole mess.

The new Glaives were good, very good. That much was obvious enough without Gladio even having met them before.  The Crown didn’t care where you came from or, generally speaking, how anti-social you were. The Glaive were protectors, as long as that was the most important thing on their mind, exceptions could be made.

But they pushed themselves to the limit with every attack, every block, every crackle of their magical power.  It wasn’t that they didn’t have the ability or the drive, they just needed to pace themselves. And follow instructions. And understand that pushing through the pain at the beginning stages could only do their health poorly.

Gladio spent quite a while after training just showing how proper stretching techniques could stave off a world of pain.  Cor then insisted that Gladio demonstrate how pressure points could be used to help heal. Basically, Gladio got conned into giving Cor a massage under the guise of a presentation.

That sneaky--! Cor probably had it planned the whole time.  He knew Gladio was a damn magician with his fingers. Clarus was probably laughing his ass off.

So when all was said and done, it was significantly later than Gladio expected.  He just wanted to get clean, get home, and get off. Unfortunately, since the showers were all being used by strangers, it would have to be done in order.  Gladio just really wanted to see a certain someone.

It didn’t help Gladio’s mood when he saw that Ignis had sent a text saying that he was on his way home unless Gladio had time to meet.  Gladio didn’t get the message, didn’t even  _ see _ it, until it was way too late. Fuck.  Cockblocked by work. Whoopie.

With any hint of a orgasm-filled evening gone, Gladio decided to head home. His real home, not his apartment.  

Even though Gladio knew he smelled less than pleasant, he really didn’t want to hang around for any longer than he had to.  The other passengers on the bus might suffer temporarily but they’d live. Besides, the shower in Amicitia manor was worth it.  Although he might end up having to kick Iris out - she was spending more and more time in there these days. Was it makeup? Hair? Soaking in the tub?  Gladio wasn’t sure but he figured he’d need a bargain piece to help ensure he’d have a good long time alone once he got home.

First stop, bakery.  Bribes for Iris were always a good thing.  It helped that his dad had a sweet tooth as big as the moon.  And you know what, screw it. Gladio hadn’t splurged for a while.  He’d buy a bunch of stuff and the rest of the staff could steal some if they wanted.

Working for an Amicitia meant never needing to go hungry but Gladio knew he sure appreciated when someone at The Midnight Garden brought in doughnuts so he figured at least a few people would be pleased.

The bakery wasn’t far away from the Citadel.  It was very popular, busy day in and day out. Regular people, rich people, Glaives, you name it.  But it settled down a bit in the evening and Gladio had been there often enough to know exactly when they baked their last batch of treats.

Gladio chose something that looked like someone had piled cotton candy and strawberries on a grenade and pulled the pin.  He  _ knew _ Iris would go crazy for it.  The whole thing was pink and fluffy and sticky and he could taste the sugar in his bones from a mile away.  

Clarus would get something a little more subdued.  Mostly chocolate but with a healthy dollop of whipped cream between the decadent layers. And on top.  And maybe ‘healthy’ wasn’t the best descriptor. His mom, bless her soul, probably would have had a fit if she saw Clarus partaking… and then stolen a good portion for herself.  She and Iris were so similar, Gladio wondered if his father sometimes felt sad seeing his daughter after his wife had been gone for so many years.

The rest of the box was filled with an assortment of colours and shapes.  Gladio didn’t know everyone’s taste so he told to clerk to just ‘go wild’. They did.  And they knew Gladio had the funds so they didn’t shy away from tucking a few more expensive cakes into the pack.

With a swipe of his credit card, Gladio was finished and out the door.  He used his personal card this time - no sense saying you wanted to treat someone and then make them pay.  Them, in this case, being his father.

Gladio arrived just in time to catch the bus, a rarity.  Tucking the box of sweets tight against his chest, he plopped down in a seat near the back, popped in his earbuds, and drifted off.

The bus always bounced vigorously as it turned the final corner before Gladio’s house.  A clear sign, even when sleeping, that waking up was imperative.

Minutes later Gladio was waltzing through the front doors, kicking off his boots as he passed through the entranceway and off towards the refrigerator.  He’d have to nab some food when he was finished his shower.

“Gladdy!” Iris cried out as he entered the kitchen. ‘You’re home!”

“Hey kiddo!” And with a grunt he caught his younger sister as she barrelled into him, one hand quickly shoving the box of sweets onto a nearby counter.  “Oof! You’re getting heavy.”

There was a sharp intake of breath and a squeak of fury. “Rude!  You never talk about a lady’s weight! No wonder you’re still single.” Iris huffed as she crossed her arms and pushed Gladio away. “Besides, you always tell me to catch my enemies off guard.”

“Oh really now, am I your enemy?” Gladio scoffed dramatically.  Iris was a pain in the butt but no matter how he pretended to feel, he always missed her when he stayed at the apartment. “And who told you I was single?”

Gladio smirked openly as Iris’s expression changed from put out to excited.

“What? You have a girlfriend? Or, oh  _ oh _ , is it a boyfriend?”  Iris had been the first person Gladio ever told about being bisexual.  He kind of did it as practice for coming out to his father, he never actually expected someone just entering double-digits to understand. Or remember.  But she did, and she actually held his hand as he stood, stone-faced, and told his father about who he truly was.

He’d expected disgust or anger from at least one of his family members.  Instead of got hugs and kisses and an unattractive streak of snot down his arm because Iris was so happy that their dad wasn’t mad she literally couldn’t stop hiccuping for so long that Clarus almost called the doctor.  

She could be a little shit sometimes, but so could anyone.  And he loved how she didn’t treat him like he was anything special. It was certainly nice after seeing the respect and jealousy in everyone’s eyes at the Citadel.

“It’s a secret.” Gladio stage-whispered, finger pressed to his lips.  Iris’s eyes went wide and she visibly bounced from one foot to the other in her excitement. “I don’t want anyone else to know yet..”

Nodding solemnly, Iris tried to control herself.  “Is it someone I know?”

“Yes, now shush!” Gladio said again, hearing heavy footsteps coming their way.  His interactions with Ignis were still… new. Personal. He didn’t mind Iris knowing but his father... that was something he was not ready for.

“Gladio!” Clarus boomed with a slow smile as he entered the room.  His smile faded when he saw Iris struggling to calm down. “What’s wrong, Iris?”  Clarus’s eyes moved around the kitchen until he found what he assumed was the problem.

He zeroed in.  Assessed. Evaluated.  And with an efficacy only seen in protection of the King, stole a cake out of the box and, cupping it in his palm, strode away.  “Thanks son!” He announced over his shoulder as he bit into something with gusto. Gladio sighed. Clarus Amicitia, everyone: only ever distracted by the King or cake.  

And… it seemed like Clarus had a bigger sweet tooth than Gladio expected because the treat he bought especially for Iris was gone.

With Iris once again free to question him at her desire, Gladio fled the kitchen as well, making a mad dash for the upstairs bathroom after yelling at Iris to eat whatever she wanted and give Jared the rest.

Gladio knew he wouldn’t be able to see Ignis, really  _ see _ Ignis for a few days yet.  They would meet every day but out in the open, surrounded by friends or family, it wasn’t quite the same thing.  Gladio would take what he could get though, and accept the small mercies the Gods gifted him in that maybe, just maybe, things were finally going to go his way this time.

He held his memories of Ignis and their short, but worthwhile, time spent together in his head as he finished up and ate a quick dinner (plus dessert, of course!) before heading to bed.

Tomorrow was a new day and Ignis was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super happy with how this turned out mainly because I feel like my writing has regressed to preschool level BUT I'm trying my best. xD Thank you for sticking with me all this time, darling readers, and I hope to start working on the next chapter soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope erryone is enjoying this mess of a fic! I love each and every one of you for reading and commenting (or even just taking the time to scan quickly)!

Everything went to shit a few days later.

Gladio was fast asleep, enjoying a rather lewd dream about a certain someone and his delectably expressive face, when his phone rang.  It wasn’t the ring used for emergencies regarding members of the royal family so Gladio wanted to ignore it. Tried to ignore it.

_ Ring… Ring… Ring… _

The sound died off and Gladio, half-awake and grouchy, was pleased for all of two seconds before the noise began anew.

Mumbling obscenities under his breath, Gladio crawled out of his nice, warm bed and walked over to his desk where the phone lay charging, and flashing.  It was his fault, he should have turned the damn thing on silent.

He had two missed calls already, same number.  He didn’t recognize it but it was pretty clear the caller wasn’t about to give up.

Putting on his best  _ if you’re calling me at 4am you’d better have a damn good reason _ voice, he swiped up and was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of sirens.

“This is Detective Salvus from the 99th Precinct.  I’m calling regarding a Ms. Clover...” A tired voice came through the speaker and Gladio was on edge right away.  He barely heard the rest of the man’s speech, just listened and took it all in. He needed time to process.

“Is she okay?” Gladio interrupted just as the detective was trying… something.  Gladio wasn’t sure. His brain shut down around the time he was told he was Clover’s alternate emergency contact.  Because that meant that Lyse was unavailable, or something had happened to her but more importantly - Clover was in trouble.

“She is on her way to the hospital as we speak.  Mild smoke inhalation. Her partner begged me to call you.”

Gladio bit his lip,  _ hard _ , to force himself to wake up faster than his body was letting him.  “What happened?”

There was an exhausted sigh that spoke of someone tired of having to repeat the same information over and over again time after time.  Or maybe it was just 4am weariness.

“As I said, there was a fire.  I will need to speak with you at the hospital.”

“Why, ‘s not like I was there.”  Gladio assumed that this had something to do with his part-time job.  The Midnight Garden… in the wee hours of the morning… involving fire. This didn’t bode well  _ at all. _

“I’m not sure, but Ms. Clover wanted to let you know.  Get to the hospital as soon as you can, please, and we can discuss everything there.  I’ll be leaving soon.” 

Gladio got the address of the hospital and hung up the phone, promising to arrive as soon as he was able.  Noct had school in the mornings anyway, he wouldn’t be bothered by Gladio being indisposed. He’d probably have to tell his dad where he was off to, but he hoped he could postpone that conversation for another time - he needed to make sure everything was all right with his friend first.

Gladio knew he could take the car if he wanted.  He could drive even though he rarely did. But he didn’t really trust himself behind the wheel right now.  It was one thing to have an emergency with Noct or King Regis - they would need him but there would also be countless others to offer assistance and be useful.  Clover was a civilian, she was a whole ‘nother matter.

There was always a chauffeur… but Gladio wasn’t sure that waking up the rest of the household at this hour was a good idea as it might distract him from actually leaving.  Still, he couldn’t just vanish without saying a word.

Pulling a shirt over his head and some bottoms he had hanging off his desk chair, he brushed a hand through his hair and hoped it looked someone acceptable.  There was only one person he could call who might understand his predicament and not ask untimely questions.

“Gladio?”  Ignis picked up on the second ring, his voice clear and pure.  Gladio’s antithesis. “What’s wrong?”

“Need your help, Iggy.  Can you pick me up? I wouldn’t ask normally but…”

“I’ll be there shortly, no cause for concern.  Meet me at the front gates in twenty minutes.” Then the line went dead.  

It was only then that Gladio realized Ignis didn’t ask where he was at the moment.  And twenty minutes seemed awfully quick for someone who lived so far away. Unless… was Ignis at the apartment tonight?

Gladio shook his head.  No, it was time for those questions later.  

He ducked into his father’s bedroom, saw the moonlight shining in from the window light up his dad’s silver hair.  By the time Gladio made it to the bed, Clarus was awake. Never a light sleeper, he could probably feel the urgency in the air.

“Everything okay, son?”  His words were concerned but his voice was strong.  “The Prince--”

“It’s something personal.  I’ll explain when I get back.  Just wanted to let you know that I’d be going out.”

“Do you need Jared?”

“No, Ignis is coming to get me.”

There was a slow blink from Clarus and some more silence before, “I see.  Keep me informed. I’ll help with anything you need.”

“Thanks dad.”  Gladio’s lips twitched into a half-smile. “Back soon.”

“Take care.”  Clarus probably wouldn’t be going back to sleep at this stage and he was likely going to follow up with some friends in order to get the information Gladio wasn’t sharing, but that was fine.  His dad didn’t show a lot of affection but Gladio knew his old man worried about his well-being. 

Gladio spent most of the twenty minutes waiting for Ignis outside, not minding the chill of the morning even though he knew waiting inside would be more comfortable.  It was probably his imagination but he could have sworn he could taste ash in the air. But no, there was no breaking news updates on his phone - nothing suggested mass tragedy.  Maybe it wasn’t even that serious, Clover just wanted him for moral support.

There was a crunch of gravel as Ignis drove up, his window rolled down so Gladio could hear him clearly without having to open the door first.

“Get in.”

Gladio did.  He told Ignis where he needed to go, thanked him profusely, offered a million favours in return.  Ignis just smiled.

“My pleasure, you needn’t worry.  I am happy to help, no matter the time or place.”  Ignis patted Gladio’s shoulder reassuringly without turning to look at the larger man.  “An explanation would be helpful, however. What exactly happened?”

“You’ve got me, I know fuck all.  Got a phone call about Clover, was told to see her at the hospital.  Kinda freaked out, didn’t know who else to ask.”

Ignis thought for a moment.  “Do you think your family would object to your other job?  I can’t imagine your father being surprised by anything, let alone something as innocent as…”

“I just didn’t want to talk about it. And the place isn’t as innocent as all that, they take all clients as long as Clover determines there isn’t a danger.  So… you could have politicians as well as mob bosses, anyone from trillionaires to prostitutes. And just cause I don’t fuck the clients doesn’t mean that one of the other workers hasn’t done a little something  _ extra, _ you know? Just don’t want my dad thinking I’m bringing shame on the family.”

Ignis hummed. “I concede to your judgement.  But there isn’t anything inherently wrong with taking on a second job, especially if it pleases you.”

There wasn’t a lot of traffic in the morning, Gladio had never really appreciated that fact until this very moment.  At the rate they were going, they’d be arriving at the hospital in no time at all.

“No, but the potential for scandal is pretty high, is all.”

“Understood.  And I do appreciate your trust in me. You are a good person, Gladio.”

Gladio shot Ignis a wry grin.  “Sure, I lie to my dad and everyone about what I do during my time off.  But I’m ‘a good person’.” Gladio wasn’t above admitting that he totally used air quotes.  He knew it bothered Ignis but that little nose crinkle was so damned cute it calmed Gladio down more than brisk jog around the Citadel gardens.

The two men made small talk as they sped towards their destination.  Gladio just needed to relax and take his mind off of everything. His brain was going a mile a minute and thinking negatively like he was wasn’t going to do anyone any favours.  Ignis, the saint, humoured Gladio and rambled on about whatever crossed his mind.

Ignis was just getting to why he believed night owls were more unhealthy than early risers when he pulled in to the hospital grounds.  Gladio felt his heart leap into his throat and he was this close to just jumping out of the car and running inside. But instead, to his surprise, Ignis pulled into the parking lot instead of dropping Gladio off at the entrance.

Gladio wasn’t sure why he was so distraught.  He knew Clover, he  _ liked _ Clover, but it was far from the first time someone he knew had been injured.  Hells, it wasn’t even his fault so he shouldn’t be feeling this kind of guilt. It’s not like he’d been setting fires with his mind or anything, weird dreams after horror movies aside.

But deep down he was afraid he was lying to himself.  If, somehow, he had been the cause of Clover’s current predicament, he’d never forgive himself.  And everything happening so soon after he beat up that client the other day? It was also  _ too _ coincidental.

Gladio felt strong fingers brush up against his and he near-about jumped out of his seat in surprise.  But it was just Ignis. Ignis, who with a strength Gladio really wished he could steal right about now, gently intertwined his fingers with Gladio’s and squeezed tight.  Kept holding on the whole time he was parking the car (impressive enough to do it one handed, let alone tethered to a 200-pound ball of nerves and anxiety).

“Everything will be fine, Gladio. Just breathe.”

And off they both went, hand-in-hand, to find Clover.

After cornering the receptionist, who looked about ready to pull her own hair out from stress, Gladio got the directions to Clover’s room.  

It was… overly silent.  Too quiet, especially since Clover was always chatty.  But now she was hooked up to an IV with an oxygen mask attached to her face, her hair flecked with greasy white specs.  Ash? Paint? 

One thing was for sure, the detective has severely misrepresented the situation.  This was not ‘mild’, Clover looked like death and this was usually the girl who made quips about that at Gladio.  This other way around thing was very… bad.

Lyse had pulled a chair closer to the bed and was holding Clover’s limp hand like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart at the seams.  She smiled tightly as Gladio arrived and nodded fractionally to her left. There were two uniformed officers deep in conversation but one looked marginally more important than the other.

Clover’s heart monitor beeping away was the only thing that kept Gladio calm enough to drop to his knees and pull Lyse into a tight hug instead of punching a pillow like he really wanted to.  And from the looks of Lyse’s once perfectly manicured nails and the flecks of blue on the floor, that one sure sound of Clover being strong was the only thing that was helping her too.

Ignis stayed back at the door, not wanting to disturb the relative silence of the room.  Besides, he didn’t know Clover like Gladio did. He both wanted Ignis at his side and wanted him far away - there was no way he needed Ignis to see him spiral.

... _ Astrals _ , if things were this bad with a simple work friend, what would Gladio end up doing if something happened to his family?  He had to get ahold of himself. Stay calm, stay alert, keep everything bottled. Eruptions at the worst time could only hurt everyone involved.

Lyse sat back and Gladio got the detective’s attention and jerked his head towards the door.  The message was clear: they were going to talk  _ now,  _ and they weren’t going to do it in front of a traumatized pair of women.  That thought made Gladio want to laugh though. If Clover were awake she’d probably beat him over the head with the nearest firm object.  She  _ never _ wanted to be kept out of the loop.  Doing her job well depending on it.

Her job…  _ fuck _ .  Gladio needed to know what happened and he needed to know  _ yesterday. _

The moment Gladio got the detective outside (pulling Ignis along with him because this was something he needed Ignis’s reasoning for) he pushed the hospital room door shut and practically pounced.

“What. Happened.”  It wasn’t a question.  It was a demand for more information.  Gladio knew he was being rude but he just couldn’t control himself at the moment.

Gladio felt a light touch on his arm and saw Ignis’s fingers.  They were cool now, and soothingly rubbed back and forth. Gladio took a deep breath, faced the detective, and tried again.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m running on nerves.  Detective Salvus, right?” The man nodded and Gladio continued. “I’m the one you called - Clover knows me as Phlox.  I-- what happened to her? What do you know?”

Ignis should patent whatever he was doing with his hands, and this was coming from a (somewhat professional) masseur.  

“Sounds like arson.  Ms. Clover’s been in and out since she got picked up.  She’ll be fine, the doctors have assured me. We don’t know much other than it is a suspected arson attack.  It’s possible the arsonist didn’t even realize there was someone in the building - we have no way of being sure of one thing or the other until we catch him or her.”

“The suspect is likely male.  Female arsonists are much rarer.” Ignis cut in and then backpedalled as the detective looked at him with a grim expression on his face.  “Apologies, I didn't mean to presume… I read true crime novels in my free time. It’s just… a fact that I memorized.”

Huh, Gladio didn’t know that.  But it did make a sort of sense. Ignis seemed the type to like true stories over fantasy or science fiction.  Somehow, even with the horrific events of the day, he was learning more and more about the enigma that was Ignis Scientia.

“Well whichever or whoever it is, I need to know what  _ you _ know.” The detective said, pointed at Gladio’s chest with a pencil that seemed to appear out of thin air.  A notepad materialized as well.

Gladio gaped. “Me?  I was asleep, how the he-- sorry, how would I know anything?”

Detective Salvus scratched his temple with the pencil’s eraser and sighed. “Just wishful thinking, I suppose. Ms. Lyse requested you be here and I was praying that you’d have some knowledge that might break the case wide open.” Another weak grin.  Jeez, Gladio should be offering to buy the guy a coffee at this stage; guy was sleepier than Noctis after a long night of video games.

“Sorry to disappoint, I’ve got nothin’.  Lyse probably just wanted me here for moral support.”

“Figures.”  The notepad and pencil vanished and the detective turned around to knock on the glass door to the room.  The officer inside startled and made his way outside, stopping briefly to say a few words to Lyse before he joined his commanding officer.  “We’ll be going back to the scene in due time to investigate. If you happen to think of anything…” A card was presented, accepted, pocketed.  

“Thanks…” Gladio said as both men began their long walk back to their precinct. He got a nod of acknowledgement and then they were gone.

Gladio was content to watch them go but Ignis cleared his throat and Gladio followed his eyes as they alighted on Lyse’s anxious figure.  Right. 

“Phlox!” Lyse actually spoke this time.  “Thank you so much for coming. I didn’t know who else… and you saved her last time so I was hoping that maybe you’d be, like, her guardian angel and make everything alright… I’m so sorry to do this to you.”  She stood up but still refused to let go of Clover’s hand.

“Lyse, it’s fine.  More than fine. I’d’ve been more pissed if you hadn’t called me.”  Lyse managed a forced smile but let herself be pulled into another hug nonetheless.  “And…” Gladio spared a glance at Ignis and saw a knowing look in the other’s eye. “It’s Gladio, not Phlox.”

Gladio wasn’t sure if Lyse even heard him but he carried on as if she had.

Ignis pulled a chair around to the other side of Clover’s bed and took her spare hand in his.  Shit, he didn’t even know the woman and he was treating her like she was the most precious thing on the planet.  Could he be any more caring? Not that he expected Ignis to treat someone he didn’t know like a piece of shit but…  There would definitely be people who’d be waiting outside the room like an awkward joke, unable or unwilling to offer any sympathy to the people inside.

“Listen, I know I’m not… the police or anything, but is there anything you can tell me about what happened?  I know people… who know people. We might be able to help just as much as the cops.”

Lyse sat back down but this time let go of Clover’s hand.  She grabbed a chair for Gladio, waited until he sat down, and pulled herself closer to him.  

“I’ll just tell you what I told the Detective.”  Gladio nodded his assent and noticed Ignis doing the same from the corner of his eye.

“Clover just needed to stop in to get some paperwork.  She’s had the place closed down since… the incident, but she wanted to make sure she brought all the important stuff home.  She… There was some huge, buff guy that went in afterwards - I saw from the car. I kinda thought it was you, actually.” Lyse motioned towards Gladio as she bit her lip in distress.  Clearly she was blaming herself for not acting sooner than she did. It didn’t take a genius to know that and understand exactly where she was coming from. 

“I don’t know what happened inside but the asshole ran out afterwards and all I remember is that he walked real funny.  Like, he walked like that when he went in, I think, but cause he was running away it looked more conspicuous.” Gladio filed that tidbit away for future use.  There were countless people in the city, as many bad as there were good, but he’d take anything he could if it would help discover Clover’s attacker. 

Lyse continued.  “Soon after I saw smoke and it was then I realized Clover still hadn’t come out.  I got out of the car and ran inside and found her collapsed against the door. She must have tried to get out but been too dizzy.  If I’d gone in with her instead of waiting in the car, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. I’m such a fucking idiot.”

“In all likelihood if you’d been with Clover at the time, nothing would have changed.  If anything, things may have been worse. Someone else may not have reported the crime until much later which could have ended poorly for both you and Ms. Clover.  You saved her life, that much is clear.” Ignis interjected, voice as soft as if he were speaking to a wounded animal.

“What happened to Ms. Clover was, and is, repugnant, but you could not have known what the perpetrator was planning.  The blame - and guilt - lies solely with the criminal who initiated such a despicable act.”

“Fucking animal!” Gladio cussed, for once not getting glared down by Ignis for his language.  “When I get my hands--” Gladio paused. Something came to him just then… on the tip of his tongue.  A big guy, a criminal, with a bum leg. Sounded an awful lot like the guy he and Ignis had trounced a few days back but… no.  That would be too much of a coincidence, right? Still… he hadn’t been able to figure out  _ how _ he knew the guy - and he was certain he’d seen him before.  

“Gladio?”  Came Ignis’s voice, warm and trusting.  “What is it?”

“Hold on, lemme think.” Gladio responded.  It was  _ right there _ .  Animal... hands... claws -  _ talons _ !  

“Well fuck me sideways and call me daddy.”  Because he knew who he’d beaten up the other day.  He knew because he was made to study and be aware of all the potential threats to Noct’s safety, no matter how slim the chance.  He knew the heads of the crime syndicates and the gang leaders. And that’s where he’d seen that guy before. 

“It can’t be a coincidence that Clover gets attacked twice in the span of a week by a giant-ass man with anger issues.  It just can’t be. And I know who did it. Can’t prove it, but… I just know.” 

“And…” Ignis coaxed, clearly just as anxious to know what Gladio had realized as Lyse was.

“Fucktard is Declan Talon, the youngest son of the Talon family - well known players in Insomnia’s underground.”

“And I thought his dad liked me.”  A raspy voice sliced through the tension in the air like one of one Gladio’s favourite broadswords.  “Asshole doesn’t know who he’s screwing with.” 

Clover was awake.

“And hey,” She laughed and it came out a little less wheezy than Gladio expected. “I didn’t even break confidentiality. Score one for integrity.”

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity.  Lyse basically shrieked in shock, slammed the  _ call nurse _ button, and Gladio and Ignis were gently but forcefully pushed out of the room by a gaggle of relieved carers.  

Gladio stood at the door for a while longer, just watching the happy reunion going on inside. Ignis was silent beside him although his body was tense and ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

“What is our next step, Gladio?  The police?”

Gladio fingered the detective’s card in his pocket and nodded grimly.

“Yup.  And then my dad.  You’re right - it’s time to come clean.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR THERE IS A PLOT. I'm not just coming up with all the randomness at... well, random. So don't worry~
> 
> Sorry that there was less Gladnis than usual but Ignis is still pretty swell for sticking with Gladio and helping out even though you just KNOW he's probably just as exhausted, if not more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are winding down and this fic is slowly coming to an end! Whoo, I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel!
> 
> You guys are all awesome for sticking with me this long and I know, I KNOW, WIPs are super frustrating so I send mucho appreciation and thanks!

As it turned out, Clover was right on two counts.

One, Declan Talon’s father  _ did _ indeed like Clover a lot.  And two, he would regret messing with Clover.  Unfortunately for him, however, it wasn’t the her - or the police - that caught him.

After Gladio and Ignis contacted the detective and gave their side of the story (both being able to identify said ‘suspected’ arsonist from memory as well as mugshot collection at the precinct), the story was ‘leaked’ to the press.  Pictures of Declan ran for days after the fact. 

“Potential witness to the arson attack” was the way the news put it but anyone who knew anything about how the legal system worked knew that that was their way of calling out the criminal.  There weren’t many people who got their photos spread across newspapers, websites, or magazines who were actually innocent.

Nothing was said of Clover or the business that had been destroyed - she was safe from that.  But there were pictures of the ruined property and those in the know… oh, they knew.

Gladio was expecting the Talon family to protect their own, to do anything in their power to keep him from harm.  Hells, to alter his features, change his name, move him outside Insomnia until everything settled down.

Instead, they gave him up.

Almost one full week after the arson attack, a black limousine pulled up outside the 99th precinct and Declan Talon was booted out.  His hands were tied, his mouth taped shut, and he had the wild eyes of someone who had been betrayed to his core.

There was also a four-leaf clover pinned over his heart.

When Clover heard the news (as she was inhaling one of the hospital’s relatively decent pudding cups), she almost choked to death from laughing so hard.

“Zaim Talon always knew how to get on my good side.”  She explained further, detailing how even though it was made clear that she was in a long and healthy relationship, the 78 year old crime boss was always trying to win her heart.  “He’s doing it for a challenge at this point, he knows I would  _ never _ .  But this might’ve earned him a kiss on the cheek at least.”

Zaim, along with many other members of his syndicate, were clients.  Clover had spent years cultivating the business, building it up from nothing, hiring the best… and she made more than a few friends along the way.  Although Clover swore she wasn’t the owner, even Gladio didn’t know who  _ actually _ ran the place.  Or if he really believed her.  He suspected Clover had more power than she let on, but she’d never given him a straight answer when he’d asked in the past.

And the attack on her life, intentional or not, meant that the police got involved.  Which was bad for every single one of Clover’s illustrious clientele. Now Clover would never rat out her members, but that didn’t mean that  _ they _ weren’t nervous with all the police attention.  So even when everything was said and done, even if Clover regained her ground and brought her business back from the brink… it was over.

There were likely some who felt betrayed by the fact Gladio was not blind, that there was a chance he could have seen who they were.  Gladio wasn’t sure, but with how Declan had reacted when he found out… he and his big mouth probably wanted to do the most damage possible.  And drunk with rage or not, high or not,  _ real or not _ , it put the fear of the Astrals into everyone.

What if someone could put a face to the secrets they had heard? What if the staff weren’t all blind?  What if their therapeutic massage sessions were little more than they seemed, maybe their closest enemies had breached the sanctity of what Clover had formed?

It all seemed a little farfetched to Gladio, especially with how he knew Clover ran the place, but he understood apprehension.  The only person Gladio ever recognized was Ignis, he wouldn’t be able to match names to voices even if he did remember the dozens of people he’d massaged in the past. And even Ignis was a… fluke?  Special.

Unforgettable.

But, back to the point at hand… everything had come together in a gigantic mess which was like the perfect storm of coincidences.  

If Gladio hadn’t recognised Ignis, he wouldn’t have acted strangely.  Which in turn meant that Ignis wouldn’t have felt the need to request him again.  And because of all that silence, instead of a chatterbox client like Gladio often got, Clover’s signal for help was heard, leading to Gladio injuring the vengeful asshole that Talon was.  Heck, the guy probably didn’t even realize Clover was in the building when he tried to set it on fire - yet another bit of bad luck.

Bad luck or curse from the Gods… either way, it meant that Clover and all her staff would be out of work.  And that,  _ that _ sure felt like Gladio’s fault.

So he knew he had to make it up to Clover.  And if he could help out more than one group of people along the way, so be it.

Although Gladio had planned to talk to his father the second he left the police station, it turned out life was not on his side.  Just so happened that Clarus and Regis (along with Cor and some of the Kingsglaive) had plans to travel outside Insomnia and view the destruction caused by the seemingly never-ending war.  It was a secretive affair but Regis told the older Amicitia that  _ he _ needed to see with his own eyes.  That he couldn’t be a good ruler if he relied solely on the opinions and views of others.

Gladio and Ignis returned home, Clarus was in the process of packing his bags.  Gladio stood silently by as his father and Jared piled into their car and vanished into the morning light.  

The thought of maybe mentioning to his father that they needed to talk prickled at the back of Gladio’s throat but he decided against it.  His father would likely be under enough stress already and didn’t need anything else bothering him. Everything could be settled when he came back.

And as luck would have it (bad or good, Gladio wasn’t sure) Clarus didn’t end up returning until after the whole drama with Clover and The Midnight Garden had been resolved.  

Gladio was pretty relieved, although he did worry for his father as well as the King.  With everything taken out of his hands, he had extra time to think over what to say and how to say it.  And Clover’s rehabilitation, as long as everything went smoothly, would help Gladio from opening his big mouth and letting words just spill out.

One stressful situation at a time.

With the car parked outside the mansion and the both of them running on far too little sleep, even combined with copious amounts of adrenaline, they were ready to pass out.  It was past 10:00 so Monica was wide awake and caught both men as they began their slow trudge up the stairs to Gladio’s room.

Ignis was offered one of the guest bedrooms.  He declined. Gladio tried not to show how happy that made him.  He probably failed.

Thankfully Gladio’s bed was fit for a king.   _ It was king-sized, after all! _ Haha.  Maybe he was more tired than he thought because that joke made him laugh for far too long and even Ignis cracked up.  And Ignis rarely laughed at dumb jokes.

Gladio got ready by tearing off his clothes (they stank like anxiety and hospital antiseptic) and tossing them in the nearby hamper.  He kept his underwear on because 1) it wasn’t  _ that _ kind of relaxation he needed and 2) Iris was at home for Shiva’s sake.  

By the time Ignis had relieved himself of his outerwear Gladio had burrowed deep into his pillows, cocooned himself in the blankets, and wasn’t even sure if he was awake or simply dreaming.  Ignis crawled into the giant mess that was Gladio’s heart and made himself at home.

They slept solidly through the afternoon and only woke up when Iris poked her head in to ask if Ignis was staying for dinner.  Ignis politely refused, saying he had important papers to finish at his own place. Still, Ignis lingered, stayed cuddled up against Gladio’s chest and by the fifth iteration of ‘I should be going’ actually did so.

Clover’s hospitalization aside, Gladio didn’t think it was physically possible to get any happier.  They’d done things a bit backwards, he and Ignis - starting with nudity and lies and working their way back to, well, semi-nudity and support and cute shit like that.  Gladio wasn’t willing to admit anything, least of all to Ignis, but he was somewhat concerned with how fast his  _ like _ was turning to something more…

And then, after everything with Declan Talon had been more or less figured out, Clarus finally came home.  And Gladio, well, Gladio was ready to have the talk that he’d promised Ignis they’d be having a week ago.

He hoped his dad was in a good mood.  

Gladio waited until his father had settled back at home.  Bathing done, dinner eaten, and all Clarus had left to do was his ritual of a good book and a scotch.  Depending on the stress of the trip it might turn into two tumblers.

Gladio stood in the doorway of the lounge and considered the best way to get his father’s attention, so lost in thought that he didn’t realize he had already been noticed.

“Is something wrong?” Clarus asked as he closed his book and placed his glass on the nearby end table.

“No, nothing’s wrong, I just… wanted to talk. Run something by you and get your opinion.”

Clarus shifted to better face his son and gestured to the armchair opposite him.  Gladio sat down.

“I presume this has something to do with your early-morning excursion the other day?”  Gladio nodded even though he was keenly aware that his father was not stupid and had likely been informed of everything that had happened in his absence.  “Proceed.”

Gladio took a deep breath and steeled himself for an unimpressed fatherly gaze.

“I--well, I used to, moonlight as a masseur… at a place frequented by people on both sides of the law.”  Clarus’s gaze remained steady and Gladio just kept talking.

“No one knew who I was and I never knew who my clients were either.  Everyone was vetted, I was in no danger. I also only did it when my regular duties were finished and I knew I’d have the night to myself.  I swear I am fully committed to my job as Shield. This was just… I’ve been doing it for about a year and until recently nothing bad has ever happened and it was a great way for me to…”  Gladio realized he was babbling and shut his mouth, nearly biting his tongue in his haste.

Clarus said nothing but his slow intake and exhale meant that he wasn’t upset at least.  Gladio took that as a good sign. Then an arm extended and what little remained of the scotch was drained.

“Did it interfere with your duties as Shield?”  Clarus asked when he had replaced the glass back on the table.

“No, never.”

“Did it pose any danger to you, your family, or anyone else involved with you?”

“Not until this most recent event, no.  And even then, it wasn’t totally about me.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“I did - I do.  It helped me relax.  I liked the idea of folk not knowing who I am, not being awestruck so much that they turn into different people.”

Clarus looked pensive for a moment or two before he spoke again.  “I have no issue with what you’re doing, if you decide to continue, or what you  _ did  _ if you don’t.  There is no reason to feel guilty.”

Gladio didn’t mind admitting to being completely surprised. “I thought you’d be, I don’t know, mad or something.  Tell me to only focus on Shield-ing, or whatever.” He finished rather lamely, if he did say so himself.

Clarus slapped a strong hand against Gladio’s back and laughed. “Gladio, if you only knew half the trouble Regis, Cor, and I got into when we were younger, you wouldn’t be worrying so much about it.  We were much wilder than you. Get Cor to tell you about how he took down a huge prostitution network by accident.”

“What now?”  Gladio felt like his eyes couldn’t get any bigger.  Cor, stubborn as a rock (and just as talkative)  _ Cor  _ did what? 

“In drag.” Clarus’s eyes twinkled as he reminisced.  “Ah, but he sure could pull it off.”

“That’s… certainly an image.”  As much as Gladio respected and looked up to the Marshal, he couldn’t envision how someone so utterly masculine could be convincingly seen as a woman.

“I’m joking, Gladio.  It was a male prostitution ring, drag wasn’t necessary.  Seriously, you should ask him about it. Regis likes to bring it up from time to time to see Cor get flustered.  He was never specific about what exactly happened inside those walls, maybe you’d be able to get the truth out of him.”

Yeah, sure. Still, Gladio felt an invisible weight lift from his shoulders.  He didn’t need to hide his hobbies from anyone anymore. Didn’t really mean much as the moment though, not with The Midnight Garden out of commision and Clover recovering in hospital.  Gladio wondered what the rest of the workers were going to do when they found out the parlour wasn’t going to be reopening any time soon. Although great steps had been made towards Insomnia being anti-discriminatory, there were still a lot of jobs that were hard to do while blind.

Gladio wondered if it would be rude for him to offer to pay their wages while this matter was sorted out.  He didn’t want to assume they had no other forms of income but he did know that, in a way, what had happened was at least partially his fault.  Others shouldn’t have to suffer for his mistakes. And, to be quite honest, he wasn’t exactly living paycheck to paycheck.

Oddly enough, all these thoughts about suffering brought something else to mind: Cor, Drautos, and the Kingsglaive.  And that one particular issue he’d helped Cor out with not so long ago.

Gladio had an inkling of an idea in his mind, some what he could get everything to work out.  Help the Glaive, help Cor (Drautos too, it seemed, even though he’d prefer to stay as far away from the man as possible), and help all the people Clover had employed get a better (and safer) job than they’d had before.

It was time to talk to Cor. Gladio just hoped the man was in a listening mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did things happen too fast? I was a bit :/ over the discussion with Clarus and kept felt like I was repeating the same sentences, using the same words etc... I'm sorry. If y'all have any suggestions that would make it a better read please let me know! 
> 
> <3 Until next time!
> 
> (I have tumblr, I think it's linked on my profile? My brain isn't working... linking is hard... whinewhinewhine xD)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, I finally know how many chapters there will be! The final chapter might be an epilogue that takes place a few months after the next chapter, I haven't decided.... 
> 
> Thanks for all the people who have stayed with me these many months. We're so close, guys!

“You want to do what?” 

The question was flat and emotionless but Gladio couldn’t tell if it was because Cor was displeased with his idea, or just distracted.  Maybe cornering his mentor in the middle of a training session wasn’t the best of plans but Cor was just so busy that Gladio felt like it was his only option.

“I want to--”

“Watch your back, Edric!” Cor barked out suddenly and Gladio’s eyes were drawn back to the new recruits that were undergoing drill after painful drill under the Marshal’s keen eye.  

Edric, Gladio assumed, was the red-headed man currently crossing wooden blades with another unknown trainee.  He was clearly unaware that his sparring partner was pushing him closer and closer to the wall and therefore, in a real life situation, inescapable death.  At Cor’s shout however, the man seemed to gain awareness of his surroundings and use the wall to his advantage - kicking off it and over the head of his partner, smacking their back with his sword.

There were two shouts, one of joy and one of irritation and Gladio could see Cor’s expression was of exasperation mixed with a little pride.  He would rarely show how he felt but Gladio knew that quick thinkers were always prized.

The day someone actually outsmarted Cor Leonis would be one for the books.

Then Titus Drautos entered the room and all emotion disappeared from the recruits’ faces.  Everyone knew the captain was a hard-ass and had no time for disobedience or outward expressions of emotion in battle situations.  Even Cor’s face lost that little glimmer of light and got a smidge more morose. However, now that Drautos was back from his business, Gladio could claim Cor’s full attention.

Cor dipped his head towards the captain and got a slight return bow in acknowledgement.  Then Cor marched over to the quietest part of the room and made an apologetic shrug with his shoulders.

“Please continue what you were saying.” 

“I want to convert the unused training and rest spaces in the training hall to massage therapy rooms.”

There was a odd silence between the two of them as Cor processed what Gladio had said.  At least that’s what Gladio was assuming Cor was doing. His eyes had been drawn back to the whirlwind of fighters and weapons and Gladio could see small frown lines appear around Cor’s mouth as he ached to say something yet stubbornly refused to do so.

But instead of a flat out refusal, Cor asked a question.

“Why?”

Gladio was a bit taken aback. He’d expected either outright acceptance or immediate rejection, either of those he had planned for.  But a question… for some reason that was the one thing Gladio had not thought through.

“Uhh..” He began, almost comically as the gears in his mind turned and tried to actually think instead of recite an answer he’d already memorized by heart.  “Because we need them?”

Cor crossed his arms and looked skyward in frustration.  Gladio hoped it was because one of the recruits had done something stupid because Cor was still--

Ah, now Gladio had Cor’s full attention. Shit.   _ Think faster, dammit! _

“Explain.”  But no, Cor didn’t seem annoyed anymore.  The muscles in his forearms relaxed and he let down his guard for a second or two and allowed Gladio to see the man who had basically raised him to be the man he was today.  

Clarus wasn’t a horrible father but he was often busy and away a lot so Gladio ended up relying on his tutors more than most would have.  The Marshal was one of the best by far, but Gladio could still remember a time when Cor’d stop a training session to bandage a cut arm or conjure up a bag of ice from somewhere to soothe an aching neck.

Now he just forced Gladio to fight through the pain and part of Gladio always wondered if Cor had a small sadistic side because the  _ sorry _ after an ‘accidental’ smack to an injured limb never seemed quite… believable.  But, to his credit, Gladio was now able to handle a lot of pain before it took him down.  Quite a necessary trait for someone who was expected to lay down his life for his King.

Cor wasn’t a cruel taskmaster generally speaking and he didn’t taunt or scare his charges unless he wanted to teach them a lesson.  This was clearly not one of those times. Cor was just… not the best conversationalist. He said more with gestures and strong silence than anyone else Gladio had met.

“Gladio, I’m listening. Please explain.” Cor repeated, his brow furrowing in… something... at Gladio’s silence.  And then it finally struck home - Cor wasn’t trying to be obtuse or anything of the sort, he wanted to hear what Gladio had to say.  But he also wanted to ensure that Gladio knew himself the reasons why he was choosing to do things. This was his attempt at getting Gladio to think things through and pause before he rushed in without any forethought.  

Well, Gladio had forethought in this case but Cor, being the crazy mind reader that he often seemed to be, had prepared the one question Gladio hadn’t seen coming.  And, in hindsight, it was an obvious question to ask. Gladio just hadn’t let himself believe that Cor would actually want an explanation. He was more a ‘my way or no way’ kind of guy.

It would definitely be a while before Gladio would ever be capable of besting The Immortal.

“Okay, well, here’s the thing…” Gladio started as he scratched the back of his head.  It was a nervous habit and he stopped as soon as Cor’s gaze fell to his moving elbow. Gladio dropped his hand and dug his thumb into the waistband of his jeans to stop himself from repeating the offending action.

“The Glaives here that you guys’re training… they seem to get hurt a lot. And I’m not talking about anything serious here - broken bones or rivers of blood serious - but enough to wear them down.  But because you’re you and Drautos is…”  _ A dickwad, _ Gladio thought but chose not to say. “ _ Intimidating _ , they want to show you how good they are and end up overextending themselves and actually making their injuries worse.”

Cor nodded which Gladio took as a good sign. He continued.

“So in the past you’ve gotten me to show them proper stretching techniques, and introduce them to pressure points that can take their pain from a 9 to a 5 - not fantastic, but manageable.  I’m thinking that some of those fighters still might not be listening - not that I would blame them, who takes the time to stretch things out before an unplanned fight - but even so… If we had staff here who were potentially available 24-hours, or on-call or something, that would help.”

“So your idea is to reward those who won’t look after their bodies with… massages?” To say Cor was skeptical was an understatement.

Gladio bit the inside of his cheek in frustration.  Cor was being deliberately difficult and they both knew it.

“I wouldn’t call it a ‘reward’, exactly.  No one is asking your fighters to hurt themselves intentionally and indeed, I would think that none of the Glaive or the Crown want to embarrass themselves in your or Drautos’s presence any more than necessary.”  Cor obviously agreed because that nod was followed by a deep sigh. It spoke volumes on Cor’s thoughts on the matter.

“However, it does happen.  Having professionals around to help manage the pain and potentially prevent further injury with kind instruction and calming words could save everyone a headache in the long run.  I’ve known with these people for a while and am fully aware that they can be very persuasive.”

“Hm.” Cor crossed his arms and smoothed out his shirt sleeve as he ruminated. “You do have a point.  And as much training as I instill, there are bound to be a few who panic and forget it all. It could be useful to have another pair of hands.”

“What, Drautos not pulling his weight?”

Cor fixed Gladio with a stare that could rival his father’s. “Another  _ friendly _ pair of hands, then.  The captain is talented beyond measure but his people skills leave much to be desired.”

Gladio’s eyebrow rose in surprise. “This, coming from  _ you _ ?”

“Yes.” Was the simple reply.  At least Cor knew how people viewed him.  “I’ll discuss it with Titus and your father but I don’t foresee any issues as long as the people you have in mind are willing to adhere to a strict confidentiality agreement.”

Gladio nodded. “They’re used to things like that, it won’t be a problem at all.  And since this whole issue was partially my fault, I’m sure Clover will be thrilled that she won’t have to let anyone go.”

“Clover?”

_ Crap. _  Well, it wasn’t like it was a huge secret and Cor was bound to find out, even if he didn’t know already.  Gladio never could tell what the man knew and what he kept hidden. Cor’s poker face was the bane of many a drunk Crownsguard.  “Yeah, the people I’m talking about used to work for this place called The Midnight Garden? Not sure if you’ve heard of it befor--.”

There was quick intake of breath. “Yes, I know it.  I was a patron before the... incident.”

Gladio was only mostly mind-boggled.  He’d never in his wildest dreams thought that his mentor, the stiffest, most stubborn, serious man he’d ever had the pleasure of knowing was a regular guest at the Garden.

“I had no idea.”  He admitted, eyes wide.

“Well,” Cor said with a hint of a smile on his face. “It was hardly public knowledge.”

“Still.  Who did you see?  I mean, it’s not important but I’m just curious.”

“And should I satisfy that curiosity?” Cor asked, more to himself than Gladio.  It was clear that the man, who valued his private life above all else, was actually deciding whether or not to open up.  And it looked like Gladio was getting the scoop of his life because, yeah, that was Cor opening his mouth and words were coming out.

“I only ever saw Chrys--”

“She is exceptional.” Gladio interrupted, for once not ashamed of doing so.  The moment that name passed Cor’s lips Gladio didn’t need to hear the rest - he understood.  Chrys used to work primarily at the Garden until a few months back when she’d needed to take a break.  No one other than Clover was privy as to why. But when Chrys came back, she’d almost exclusively been with one single client - refused anyone else, even though it meant her paycheck was smaller than it used to be.

Coincidentally, or so Gladio had thought until this moment, Cor had also been wound a little less tight in recent weeks.  The two of them matching up just… made sense suddenly.

“In every way, I agree.”  Cor acknowledged.

Gladio narrowed his eyes and chewed on his lip before speaking. “You know that she’s--”

“Yes.”  Cor interrupted. “I know.  And it doesn’t change anything.”

“Glad to hear it.”  Gladio was feeling protective and even though Chrys (short for Chrysanthemum) was technically Gladio’s senior, he knew she’d appreciate the gesture. 

With a mutual understanding that that was enough of that, Gladio bowed and took his leave.  Or rather, he turned towards the door and took a few steps before something else came to mind.

“Sir?” Gladio called and waited until Cor turned around. “One more thing?”

Cor’s eyes flicked to the training recruits that he clearly wished to correct and stood up a little straighter. “Yes, Gladio?”

“My old man mentioned something to me, I thought if you were free one of these days maybe…” He trailed off.

“Get it out, I don’t have all day.” The gruffness in his voice almost made Gladio want to abandon this current train of thought.  Thankfully, Gladio was floating on air after Cor’s ‘ _ maybe’ _ on his massage plan so he didn’t fear anything - let alone death - at this moment.

“Is it true you went undercover?”

“You’ll have to be more specific.” Cor answered drily.  “I was part of many covert operations.”

“Did many of them require…” Gladio didn’t know specifics, but he hazarded a guess. “Leather pants and crop-tops?”

From the look in Cor’s eyes the man knew  _ exactly _ what Gladio was talking about.  Cor came closer and held out his arms in what the uneducated might have considered friendly. Gladio knew differently, especially when a heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder with an iron-like grip.

Cor didn’t really look it but the man was fucking  _ built. _ Gladio had caught a peek or two in the communal showers and while he didn’t get jealous often… Let’s just say that Cor had nothing to be ashamed of.

“Clarus always did like making trouble.” Cor said, his voice low.  Gladio couldn’t tell if that was a threat or if Cor was just remembering the good old times.

“It’s true?” Gladio knew that part of him thought the whole thing to be a joke. No matter how seriously his father had sounded, some things were just… hard to believe.

“It is.  And if you drop and give me 100 right here, right now, I’ll consider telling you about it in the future.”

Well that was a challenge Gladio could never refuse.  He shrugged off his jacket and fell to his knees, waiting for Cor to give the signal to start.

“Go.”

Gladio began.

“And if I catch you stopping to take a breather, that’ll be 30 more -  _ on top of the original 100 _ .  A break equals a reset.” Cor emphasized as Gladio began to do his pushups with the weight of glorious blackmail pushing him on.  “I know you can handle it.”

“Understood, sir!”

“And 10 laps around the gardens.”  By the Six, Cor was really making this difficult.  But Gladio had faith in his abilities.

_ One, two, three… _ The faster Gladio got this done the closer he would be to victory.  He barely noticed when Cor, who was halfway towards the recruits, doubled back and knelt low to whisper where Gladio alone could hear him.

“If Iris ever needs help, my mastery of the smoky eye is unprecedented.”   

_ Fuck. _ That threw Gladio for a loop and his arms gave out in complete surprise.  He stared up at his mentor as the other man threw down an evil smile.

“Again, Gladio. You’ve got a long way to go.”

After all of this was through, maybe Gladio could convince Ignis to give  _ him _ a massage.  It was either that or melt into a puddle of his own sweat and slowly wither away.

And, fingers crossed, if everything went his way then Clover and the gang would have good jobs away from potential threats.  Gladio would be more nervous about the outcome if he had any spare brain cells to think with. As it was they were all being used.  But he was optimistic.

And celebrations could wait until...

Ignis.   _ Ignis. _ There it was, the thing that shot adrenaline through his veins and gave him the boost he needed to power through (he hoped).

He really wanted to see Ignis.  So bad, in fact, that his body moved of its own volition to pull out his cell.  He stopped just in time and was thankful that Cor hadn’t seemed to notice.

After all this, when everything was said and done, Gladio really wanted to show Ignis just how much he appreciated all the help and support he’d gotten these past weeks.  And hopefully, show Ignis just how he really felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have much more Gladnis, I promise! 
> 
> Also I'm stubborn and wanted to upload this before I went to sleep so I'm sure there are some grammatical errors that I may have missed. I am so sorry, I know they'd bug me more if I was more awake but I just want to update~ I'm porcelainlovebug on tumblr if anyone wants to find me and >:( at me over errors. xD


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT. 
> 
> Woop de-woop, you've been warned!
> 
> Also it's a LOT longer than I originally planned, oops! Hopefully it's as good as my tired mind is telling me! You guys let me know, yeah?

Gladio had just fit his key in the lock when the door swung open unprompted.

“Looks like everything went according to plan. Congratulations.” Ignis’s warm smile and kind words welcomed Gladio home. Gladio allowed himself a second of open-mouthed surprise before he smiled back and walked inside.

Ignis waited patiently a few paces away.  Gladio turned to face the door as he closed it, engaging the two locks that he’d installed when he first began living there.  It was a safe neighbourhood but sometimes the door stuck and pretended to be shut only to swing open at the most inconvenient times.  

Like when Gladio was in the shower.  Or during the creepiest part of a horror movie.

Gladio wasn’t faking his surprise, he hadn’t known Ignis would be at the apartment.  They hadn’t been able to meet for a while but finally,  _ finally _ , Ignis had made some free time.  They’d agreed to meet for dinner at a restaurant in the city and Gladio mentioned that he needed to drop by the apartment for a change of clothes.

Ignis had been laying in wait like Eos’s most eligible bachelor.  And Gladio loved it.

“Thanks, I’m reall-” Gladio got out before he was suddenly pressed up against the door.  He could see his breath creating condensation on the panel of wood as Ignis molded his body to fit perfectly against Gladio’s back.

“I missed you.” Ignis purred against Gladio’s ear, his tongue teasing the shell and causing Gladio’s arms to break out in goosebumps. “Hello again.”

“Hello to you too.” Gladio said, his voice muffled by his positioning.  If he’d known he’d be ass to crotch with Ignis he’d have make sure to be pressed flat and not at such a weird angle.

“I want to kiss you.” Sharp teeth latched onto Gladio’s earlobe and  _ woosh  _ went all the blood in Gladio’s brain.  Yup, all paths lead southward with Iggy involved. “May I kiss you?”

“That’s a stupid question, you know.  You could literally chain me to a rock in the desert and I’d still trust you enough to let you do whatever you wanted.”

“Is that so.” There was an amused quality to Ignis’s voice now and Gladio felt his blood thrum harder in his veins. “Even if I wanted to kiss you  _ here _ ?”  The here in question being slowly teased out. Ignis pressed his thigh in between Gladio’s legs and pushed them apart with confidence.  His long finger traced a line down Gladio’s back, past his ass, and up towards--

Gladio shivered and couldn’t stop himself from letting out a half moan.  He’d planned tonight to consist of dinner and a movie, maybe some heavy petting if Ignis was okay with it.  Things getting this sexual right off the bat was  _ intense _ and Gladio was so confused.  He wanted it, he wanted it  _ hard _ but he’d also hoped to talk to Ignis about what they were to each other, what they wanted from each other.

But if he said something now would Ignis take it all back and never offer again?

“Fuck, Iggy, tie me down and do whatever you want.” Gladio answered as soon as his mouth generated more saliva.  Was it hotter than the sun in the apartment or was he crazy? Also why did he have no filter?  _ WHY. _ There was such a thing as too much honesty sometimes.

“Tempting. Very tempting.”  Ignis kissed the back of Gladio’s neck and then just… let go.  Gladio didn’t move for a minute or so but he could hear Ignis shift and walk towards the bedroom.  Gladio was confused, aroused, alarmed… but mostly he just hoped he hadn’t said anything wrong. Maybe Ignis wasn’t taking this as seriously as he was?  Sure they’d admitted to liking one another but… people were tempestuous. Ever-changing. Maybe Ignis just wanted a good lay instead of a relationship… 

Gladio couldn’t stop his breath from catching in his throat at that thought.  He hoped to all the Gods that that wasn’t the case.

But no, of course not. It couldn’t be.  Ignis just… wasn’t the type. And Gladio had made it clear he wasn’t the last time they spoke about this  _ thing _ between the two of them.  At least he thought he had.  Gods, it was times like this he wished for Ignis’s photographic memory.

Ignis wasn’t making any noise in the bedroom so Gladio took a small diversion and got himself a glass of water in the kitchen.  He very intentionally didn’t look towards the other room. He needed to relax and chill and all that jazz. At least get the beginnings of his boner back in check.  Having a hair-trigger like that was kind of embarrassing, after all, even if Ignis was the only one who ever brought it out.

Draining his first glass didn’t help so Gladio had another and another.  Man, come to think of it he hadn’t been drinking properly for the past few days.  Lots of training, meetings, and anything else that Cor required of him in order for Clover and her staff to get their provisions in order.

Oh yeah, Gladio had told Clover right away when he got the go-ahead from his dad.  Of course that required him to actually explain who he was. He didn’t know if Clover’s complete lack of surprise was a proof of her professionalism or testament to the fact that she’d done her research before he’d been hired.  Her knowing who he was all along, and keeping it a secret from him, didn’t seem too hard to believe.

It would certainly explain her willingness to let him set his own hours. Most employers, even part-time ones, wouldn’t be that generous.

Quickly realizing that if he didn’t stop drinking soon he’d have to leave to take a leak mid-chat, Gladio put his glass in the sink.  Then it picked it back up and washed it before placing it in the drying rack. This was his house, sure, and Ignis wouldn’t say anything  _ but _ it was better to just play it safe and stay in Ignis’s good-books.

When Gladio walked into the bedroom he expected to see Ignis sitting on the bed, maybe reading something on his phone or, hells, based on their interactions just minutes ago maybe even covering his junk with a well-placed book and looking sultry.  But nope, Ignis had brought Gladio’s desk chair beside the bed and was lounging in it like he owned the place.

Clearly Ignis was very comfortable in his temporary abode.

Then Gladio noticed a towel draped across the bed and a bottle of what may have been oil.  He raised an eyebrow as Ignis stood up and gestured towards the bed. Come to think of it, Gladio didn’t recognize the towel.  Could it be that Ignis brought his own? It probably smelled divine, not that he’d have a chance to find out because that would be phenomenally creepy.  And a bit pathetic.

“You lookin’ to complete your session?” Gladio asked a tad hopefully.  That would be perfect, actually. He’d really be able to get into it and if there was talking, great.  If not, even better because then he could relax Ignis enough to get a straight answer when all was said and done without it being uncomfortable.

“Not quite.” Ignis answered as he came closer to Gladio and, ducking behind, tugged down on Gladio’s leather jacket until it slipped off.  Without his extra layer Gladio could feel that the air was a bit chillier than usual. It was a nice feeling, especially since his body was still overheated from his rush home. Among other things.

“Me?” It couldn’t be. Ignis wouldn’t, would he?  

“You.” Oh, he went there.

“I was hoping to talk to you.” Gladio floundered.  He had a feeling that once he got on the bed his brain would fall into relaxation mode and be utterly useless. 

Ignis hung Gladio’s jacket on one of the hooks nailed into the wall and slipped his fingers under the hem of Gladio’s tank top.  “We can talk.” He said with zero hesitation. “But I require you bare first. My one criteria.” Up went the tank top and with it Gladio’s chance of seeing whether Ignis was laughing at him or not.

Blunt fingernails raked up Gladio’s chest as Ignis’s fingers ‘helped’ him strip.  Gladio pretended not to notice the lips he felt against his tattooed back, or the brief pause of roughened fingertips at his nipples.  Who would have guessed that Ignis was a tease?

The top joined the jacket on the wall.  

“Those as well, if you’d please.” Ignis said, all business-like as he pointed to Gladio’s pants. Off they came.

Ignis turned his back to give Gladio some privacy and boxers joined the pile of clothing hanging on the wall.  Better than the floor at least.

Ignis  _ did  _ say undress, and this was a massage.  Besides, if he’d misread the situation (unlikely but still possible) the worst Ignis could do would be to request he put his underwear back on.

Completely naked, Gladio stood awkwardly for a moment or two.  Ignis was still looking away and Gladio considered drawing his attention before he getting on the bed.  But his desire to be touched overcame the evil little daemon inside him and with the grace of a drunken lout, he belly flopped onto the bed.

Ignis was there in a heartbeat, smoothing his warm palms down Gladio’s back and procuring a tinier towel from somewhere that was then carefully draped over Gladio’s ass.  There was a bit of a breeze. Clearly the towel wasn’t large enough to cover  _ all  _ the essentials.  Either that of Ignis wanted a bit of eye-candy to look at while he did his thing.

Gladio hoped it was the latter.  He was proud of his ass and knew it looked fucking fantastic.  He did, however, raise his hips and adjust himself minutely. If Ignis wanted to see  _ everything _ he’d have to make his intentions clear.  Gladio didn’t want to assume this was anything than what it seemed - even if Ignis was giving out some rather mixed signals.

“Extensive research tells me that starting from the feet and working up is proper etiquette.  However, as an individual with no official massage license, would you grant me the freedom to commence as I see fit?”

“Go for it, Iggy.  I’m not going to complain, I can promise you that.” Gladio’s voice was muffled by the towel so he turned his head in order to be better heard. “I’m just thrilled you’d even want to do this.”

Ignis made a sound of displeasure in the back of his throat, as if Gladio’s comments had physically wounded him.  “Touch you? Shower you with the attention that you deserve? This is hardly an imposition, I assure you.”

There was a bump against the side of the bed and the squeak of a wheel.  Gladio decided not to look because that’s where Ignis was and if there was to be talking, not staring into the beautiful eyes of the object of one’s affection was imperative.  Gladio felt his arms being directed above his head and let them go limp. There was a shuffle, the bed dipped, and without looking Gladio knew Ignis had taken up residence near the headboard.

“What did you wish to discuss?” Ignis asked as he picked up one of Gladio’s hands and began to massage the palm. A faint citrusy smell filled the room as Ignis rubbed his thumbs in tiny, concentric circles, digging in enough to be felt but not hurt.  

“Huh?” Gladio said intelligently. His mind was already turning into mush and someone in their right mind might question how quickly Ignis had managed to tame Gladio’s inner beast.

“You mentioned wanting to talk.  I’m all ears.”

Oh right, that.

“I just… wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done.” Gladio spoke quickly and intentionally hid his face.  He was hoping the towel would dampen the blatant affection in his tone. “Picking me up without complaining, helping with Clover… You’re too good to me.”

There was silence as Ignis repeated his previous motions with a tinge more power.  

Gladio’s hands  _ were _ in desperate need of care, actually.  They’d spent many an hour gripping sword or shield or body part (hand-to-hand combat training was something Cor focused heavily on) and Gladio had just taken the pain as a fact of life.  Ignis’s pressure was just on the right side of painful. Gladio didn’t want ‘light’ massages, he needed to  _ feel _ something.  And that pain-tinged pleasure aspect was intoxicating.

Ignis didn’t make a sound until he began stroking Gladio’s fingers, massaging up from knuckle to nail until each digit was stretched.  Gladio’s pinky actually cracked and he felt a relief he hadn’t known he’d needed.

“I hardly think that’s true.  Anyone would have done the same in my situation.”  Yup, there it was, the Ignis that Gladio expected.

“No, that’s the thing.”  Gladio said as he tilted his head to allow for more breathing room. “They might have picked me up, or maybe come into the room with Clover.  _ Maybe. _ But you stayed and helped comfort and, fuck, you didn’t even make any cracks about me having to owe you.”

“It was hardly the time even if I were the type to demand restitution.”

“Sure, but did you even consider it?  I’m pretty sure you didn’t. Not to mention that you were always polite to me even when I was acting like a jackass.”

“Well,” Ignis said delicately as he dug his fingers into the meat of Gladio’s palm. “I admit that I wasn’t always on my best behaviour.  There was rudeness on both sides I suppose.”

Gladio laughed into the mattress and squeezed Ignis’s hand affectionately as he did so. “Lesser men might have taken a swing at me - I’m sure I deserved it. You put up with a lot.”

“Your attitude could have been better, I’ll admit, but after supervising Noct for many years, a bad temper was the least of my concerns.”   

Ignis moved on to Gladio’s other hand with a brief pause to retrieve more oil.  Gladio caught sight of Ignis’s hand, all shiny and slick, and he had to swallow hard.  Ignis had really pretty fingers, scars and all, but seeing them like that made Gladio think of sweat and heat and dripping and…

Penetrating.  Thrusting. Coaxing.

Gladio forced himself to abandon that train of thought when he felt his cock twitch with interest and turned his shudder of excitement into a fake full-body cough.  Fuck that, even if this wasn’t an innocent massage there was no way Gladio wanted to distract Ignis until everything was over. He was selfish and he knew it but fucking hells, this was Ignis’s hands  _ all over his body _ .  Everything else could wait.

Gladio was feeling the seductive tendrils of slumber poking at his mind and Ignis had only done his hands. Was the man a magician or was Gladio just so touch-starved (a lot of people touched him, sure, but not the  _ right _ people) that this was like a drug?  But then Ignis stopped and Gladio actually had to force himself not to whine.

A low voice sounded above Gladio’s ear. “I’d like to move to your neck and back.  Would you allow me to remove your necklace?”

Gladio hesitated.  He  _ never _ took his necklace off.  It had sentimental value and was irreplaceable.  Even if Ignis placed it on the chair Gladio knew he’d be constantly worrying about it vanishing into a black hole (that would appear out of nowhere and vanish without a trace, of course). Silly thought, true, but one Gladio couldn’t shake.  Also maybe he should stop watching so much TV.

Ignis mistakenly took Gladio’s silence as assent and Gladio, although anxious, was willing to suck it up.  He wanted to know what Ignis would do with the necklace.

Dextrous fingers picked at the clasp and untangled the chain from Gladio’s long hair.  There was a tinkle as it was pulled off Gladio’s neck and then silence. Straining for an idea of where Ignis had put it, Gladio almost didn’t know what hit him in the ear as Ignis bent over to whisper once more.

“I’d also like to tie your hair back.” It was a statement, not a question.  Gladio grunted his assent this time because all he could think about was how Ignis’s ‘safe place’ for Gladio prized possession was, in fact, ingenious.  Because that thing that hit him in the ear? It was his pendant. Which meant that Ignis was wearing his necklace.

The thought brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to Gladio’s chest and he smiled softly as Ignis retrieved a hair tie from somewhere and tugged Gladio’s hair into a loose ponytail.  He should have known better, everything - precious or not - was safe in Ignis’s faithful hands.

Gladio had a really sensitive neck.  He always had. The necklace was essentially part of him so it wasn’t a bother but without his hair to protect his skin, Gladio squirmed.  Sensing his discomfort, Ignis leaned completely over and placed a tender kiss just under his hairline. Gladio shivered. He could sense Ignis’s self-satisfied smirk.

The man’s every action was exact. He knew what he was doing.  He was playing Gladio like a violin and Gladio was loving every second.

When Ignis had settled down and started working on Gladio’s back (alternating between standing beside the bed and straddling Gladio’s hips, depending on the pressure needed) Gladio was ready to say what he’d been meaning to all day.

“Iggy, you know I like you.”

A warm laugh accompanied two thumbs pressing steady and deep into Gladio’s shoulders.  Varying the pressure as he went, Ignis used knuckles, palms, and fists to push and knead Gladio’s back into putty.  He definitely had talent. Gladio didn’t even need to speak up to get Ignis to use more strength - a rarity when he had a massage.  People were usually either too gentle or just didn’t hit the right spots.

Maybe he looked like he’d crush them like a bug if they pressed too hard?  Gladio loved people but he knew he could look rather intimidating. 

“I believe we’ve had this conversation before.” Ignis teased as he stretched Gladio’s neck to the side to attack the large, stiff muscle he’d exposed.  

“Yeah but--  _ Oh. Right there. _ ” Gladio couldn’t hold himself back, he let out a groan of pure satisfaction.  Gods that felt  _ amazing _ . “I just wanted to make something clear.”

“I think we’re both on the same page, Gladio.  Or have you forgotten our prior diversions?” Ignis moved Gladio’s head and started on the other side.  Gladio let the pleasure wash over him before he continued.

“I certainly haven’t.  But that’s the thing, here, stop for a sec.” Gladio reached back and placed his hands on Ignis’s.  They both stilled. “I want to be clear that if anything more happens between us that it’s not just… I dunno what to call it. Fun and games?  I’ve done that and it never ends well.”

Ignis shifted against Gladio’s butt and Gladio was momentarily thankful.  The man may be an athlete but he was not a small man. Feeling came flooding back into Gladio’s left cheek.

“You still haven’t said anything I wasn’t aware of already, Gladio.”

Oh.  Well, just to be crystal clear...

“I’m talking about a relationship, Iggy.”  Gladio let Ignis pull away and put his hands back to good use.  Now they were working down the rest of his back in tight, precise movements.  Nothing to hint that Ignis was adverse to such an arrangement but also… nothing to prove that he wanted what Gladio was suggesting.

“I’m giving you an out, Iggy.  I’m willing to go all the way if you are.  But if you’re looking for something different, that’s a-okay with me.  Just… I can’t let you. With me, I mean.” Gladio clarified.

“I understand.”

Still nothing certain.  Fuck. Gladio was starting to feel a bit on edge.  Did Ignis want what he did or not.

“I’ll shut up now but if you want me - all of me - you’re going to have to make that pretty clear.  Think it over, will ya?”

Ignis hummed an assent and continued his massage.  Gladio felt conflicted but also cautiously optimistic.  After all, Ignis hadn’t immediately refused. That was something, right? And his views were  _ all  _ out in the open.  Everything was up to Ignis.  Basically… it all depending on how far Ignis was willing to take the massage.

Gladio hoped to Gods and ancient kings alike that Ignis felt the same as he did.

More silence.  Deafening silence.  Paint drying made more noise.  

Ignis worked over Gladio’s back like he had a map of all of Gladio’s weak points.  It was relaxing as anything but Gladio still couldn’t fully submit. He didn’t want to pressure Iggy but he really wanted an answer, verbal or not.  He needed  _ something _ .

Ignis finished Gladio’s upper back and moved lower, pushing off his ‘seat’ and kneeling between Gladio’s legs instead.  He was moving slower now, like he… didn’t want this to end, and wanted to prolong what was happening.

It took Gladio a second to notice that the towel covering his ass had liberated itself.  And it seemed like Ignis had just realized it as well.

Gladio felt a pinch, like Ignis was trying to precisely measure the correct ratio of fat to muscle.  Then, with the sigh of someone who had just about had all they could take, the fingers vanished and were replaced with two warm hands.  Gladio felt Ignis knead and massage his ass, making a masterful attempt to grab as much flesh as possible before letting go and watching everything fall back into place.  Gladio was proud to say he felt only minor jiggle.

The gentle (but not  _ too _ gentle) slap that followed was unexpected but welcome.  Gladio could see himself developing a spanking kink if Ignis got really into it.  

“I apologize but I fear I cannot proceed further.” Ignis said with great regret, forcing Gladio to raise himself up on his elbows and look back.  Gladio felt a chill race through his body as he stared up at Ignis.

Ignis - composed and exact and totally in charge at all times Ignis - was hard as a fucking rock.  There was no mistaking that bulge for anything but what it was. Gladio could clearly see the outline of something large and insatiable pressing against the seam of the man’s pants.  And Ignis himself… his hair was tousled and his cheeks were tinged with the pink of arousal - and probably embarrassment. Gladio had never seen Ignis looking so wanton  _ in his life _ .

“By the  _ Six _ , just look at you…” Gladio marvelled.  How had he gotten so lucky?

“My control has been lessening by the minute.  Do you-- Would you--?” Ignis bit his lip and Gladio saw his adam’s apple bob hard.

“Iggy, I said it before.  You can do  _ anything  _ with me, to me.”

Ignis shut his eyes as he fought to control himself.  It was only then that Gladio noticed a rolled up towel in his hand.

“What’s that for?”

“Sanitizing.”

“The oil?  Should I…?” Gladio made as if to sit but stopped at Ignis’s alarmed expression.

“No! No, I’d… prefer to do this.  Just lie back down. And if at any time you feel uncomfortable…” The words trailed off.

“I know, I’ll let you know.  But I won’t, I guarantee it.”  Gladio lay back down and crossed his arms under his head.  He could feel Ignis’s fingers pulling at his ass, adjusting it, coaxing Gladio to raise his hips and spread his legs. Just what was he--?

The touch of cool on his asshole was a shock and he clenched up without thinking.  A kiss pressed to his right butt cheek helped soothe him and he settled back down without complaint more than a grumble.  He was still tense - not a lot of people saw this side of him - but Ignis was… different. Things would be okay with him, no doubt about it.

Ignis moved the towel up and around Gladio’s hole thoroughly.  It was a bit unseemly but Gladio figured that if Ignis wanted to clean him up, he wouldn’t complain.  Maybe Ignis just really wanted to wipe all the excess oil away. He was always going on about cleanliness.  Gladio wondered if Ignis had planned this from the beginning because how else would he have a wet towel at the ready?

Gladio was also very relieved that he waxed  _ back there _ on a regular basis.  It was times like this that the extra effort really came in handy.  Not to mention that he just liked the feeling of having a bare asscrack.

The towel was soon discarded (Gladio heard a  _ whump _ as it flew onto the chair to his side) and two confident hands gripped his butt cheeks and… stilled.  Gladio could feel warm puffs of air dancing across his bare skin and assumed Ignis’s face was pressed in close.  Inadvisably close. It was a strange feeling and he twitched in embarrassment. 

There was a quick intake of breath and Gladio realized, with mortification, that every time he clenched Ignis could see… everything.  Did the man  _ want  _ him to die of shame?

With a tenderness that bordered on doting, Gladio felt his cheeks being pulled apart.  Without fully understanding why he did it, Gladio rocked his hips back.

Ignis made an appreciative noise. He nuzzled the curve of one cheek and Gladio felt teeth and tongue lave at one spot, over and over.  Fucker was giving him a hickey! That shouldn’t have turned Gladio on as much as it did. He never took Ignis for someone who liked to leave marks.  But now that he knew better… well, there were many places that could be easily hidden if the need arose.

Lost in thought, the tentative brush of warm and wet over his hole was totally unexpected.  Gladio jerked forward, trapping his dick soundly between the towel and his body. What the fuck--?  

Scratch that, it was  _ obvious _ what it was but Gladio was shocked to know that Ignis was doing it.  That he wanted to do it, unprompted and unbound by any sort of imagined reciprocity clause.  Also that the Ignis at the door when Gladio first came home had actually suggested something that turned out not to be a joke.  Would wonders never cease.

There was a quiet moan and Gladio realized with a jolt that Ignis was-- 

_ Astrals above _ …!

Ignis was getting off on this.  That changed Gladio’s mind in a hurry.  If Ignis liked this, Gladio could learn to love it faster than it took Noctis to remove lettuce from a burger.

And it hit him like a ton of bricks.  Ignis  _ wasn’t _ stopping, even after Gladio’s confession and very heavy emphasis on where  _ he _ wanted this thing between them to go.  Ignis knew what he was getting into and there was no doubt in Gladio’s mind that the man had fully thought everything through.

Ignis Scientia wanted him too.  In all the ways.

“Iggy…” Gladio said lustfully, hoping to entice Ignis to continue. Now that he knew that they were both on the same page it was time to turn the intensity on high. With a heated groan Ignis moved back in and licked a hot stripe from balls to taint.

Then he stopped and abandoned the area to bestow kiss after searing kiss across Gladio’s tailbone - there was definitely some teeth in there as well - before moving upwards to lick into the dimples on Gladio’s lower back.

New erogenous zone found, everyone.  Glory be, and praise the Six.

For the next few seconds or minutes or  _ hours _ , Gladio wasn’t sure, Ignis alternated between licking, biting, and sucking at whatever flesh he could get his mouth on.  Sometimes his hole puckered in anticipation only to be ignored in favour of a nibble to the butt. A finger toyed with his perineum, blunt nails coaxing waves of heat to pulsate through Gladio’s body in time with their every touch.

But Ignis didn’t force anything inside.  No fingers, no tongue, not even a dollop of oil to relax Gladio’s passage.  Gladio didn’t know if he loved that or hated it. He did, however, know that his balls were aching so much that he wanted Ignis to grab them and  _ squeeze _ .  Not enough to hurt but enough to stay his passion… All this teasing was bringing Gladio closer and closer to the edge and he wasn’t ready for this to end.

Was Ignis planning on teasing the whole time or was he actually going to follow through on his promise?  His pants were obviously uncomfortable, his own cock was bound to be painfully hard by now. And although a less lust-filled Gladio would have objected to insertion without a condom, in his present state he really didn’t give a flying fuck.

He wanted something in him -  _ anything at all - NOW. _

And maybe that’s exactly why Ignis was teasing only.  Maybe Ignis was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself either and was doing the right thing by not initiating what they both clearly desired.  He was protecting them both.

Ignis was, in so few words, perfect.

In a flash Ignis retreated, leaving behind a cold feeling in his wake.  Gladio immediately panicked. Had he done something wrong? Given off any possible noise that might have seemed cautionary? Was Ignis regretting this…?

There was the snap of a bottle closing and Ignis returned.  This time Gladio was ready and he willingly bucked up to give Ignis all the access he needed - and a clear  _ clear _ demand for more.

Something larger and firmer than a tongue, but just as moist, pressed forward.  It teased Gladio’s hole for a moment or two before pushing in with minute pressure…

Gladio could feel Ignis’s hand flatten against his ass as the finger sunk it fully, all the way to the second knuckle.  Gladio hadn’t been kidding about wanting more - his body was aching and willing. Ignis let out a noise of surprise at the easy entrance.  Clearly he’d expected more resistance but Gladio… was well past that stage.

“Does it hurt?” 

“Shit, Iggy, don’t stop or i’ll--” Gladio couldn’t finish his sentence because Ignis was pulling back his finger, slowly, and pushing back in.  There was even less resistance the second time.

Gladio let his brain dissolve into nothingness as he jerked his hips back and forth with Ignis’s slow and steady pumping.  A second finger might have joined the first at some point, Gladio wasn’t sure. All he cared about was how he felt (spoiler alert: in- _ fucking _ -credible) and that Ignis’s breathing was getting heavier with each pass.

As Ignis continued to finger-fuck Gladio into submission, his tongue joined in the fun.  Wet, filthy sounds filled the air, competing with Gladio’s moans and Ignis’s harsh gasps for lewdest noise of the month.

Ignis withdrew to admire his sloppy work, and Gladio almost pitched a fit.  He was so close! Gladio couldn’t help but cant his hips higher in the hopes that Ignis would finish what he’d started.

By now Gladio was actively rutting against the bed and he didn’t care how ridiculous he looked.  Ignis was doing insane things to his body and Gladio never wanted it to stop. Ever. At the same time he wanted to return the favour.  He’d never even considered applying tongue to asshole but now he just wanted to see Ignis’s face contorted in bliss. 

Ignis’s fingers abandoned their fruitless search for Gladio’s prostate (the little bastard could be difficult to find) and reached under Gladio’s body to grab his cock.  Then Ignis’s free hand came from wherever the hells it had been hiding and joined the fray. His thumb pulled Gladio’s hole open and, with freer access than before, tongue-fucked Gladio into oblivion.

The combination of Ignis’s hand, friction from the towel, and a tongue in his ass meant that Gladio lost any hope of holding back his orgasm.  Ignis seemed to sense that and his hand tightened around Gladio’s cock and stroked as roughly as possible. 

Gladio could feel saliva and oil dripping down his ass and towards his balls.  He could smell his precome and the musk that came with it and he writhed and bit the towel and sheets below in abandon.  He was so--!

Ignis mumbled something that Gladio didn’t have a chance of hearing but the words came unbidden to his thoughts nonetheless.

_ Come for me. _

And Gladio did. Hard. So fucking hard.  With an moan that sounded almost tortured, Gladio’s balls clenched and his whole body stiffened.  He saw stars. He’d never come so hard in his life and he didn’t care how loud he was or who heard him.

When his shuddering finally stopped, his hips gave out and Gladio fell to the bed in complete exhaustion.  Ignis’s hand was trapped under Gladio’s body, between his legs, and he was still valiantly trying to milk every last drop of come out of the wreckage that was once a man (and who was now a puddle).

Gladio wanted to turn over and attack Ignis, lick into his mouth and taste himself, jack off his new lover with all the fervor and passion he could.  But he couldn’t even move.

Slowly, as if Ignis knew exactly how out of it Gladio was, Ignis removed his hands and backed away.  His panting was ragged but was slowing down. Maybe he’d come too. Gladio hoped so. He wanted to check but he could barely find the strength to keep his eyes open.

Gladio’s last memory was that of Ignis whispering something in his ear.  It sounded like gibberish but the tone seemed… intense. Gladio felt a kiss pressed to his exposed cheek and then Ignis was gone.

“Don’t leave…” Gladio called out, or at least tried to, before he gave up and blacked out.

When he woke up again it was dark out.  The open blinds showered the room in the haze of light pollution instead of stars.  Gladio missed stars. He’d have to take Ignis camping one day because there was no way in  _ hells _ he was ever going to let the man go  _ ever. _  Imprisonment connotation aside, Gladio had had an epiphany around the time Ignis’s thumb spread him wide.

It was stupid to think about love during sex.  Hormones and feelings were often heightened during periods of intense pleasure, Gladio knew that.  Endorphins were powerful. But he also knew how he felt and, if he were being honest, how he’d felt for a while.  His abrasiveness was not based in anger or hatred but in a complete inability to understand what Ignis’s company brought out in his heart.

Gladio thought Iris moved fast when she dashed from one crush to the next in the span of a month or two.  And here he was, barely talking to Ignis a few weeks back and suddenly acknowledging that he was in love. There was something problematic in all of it but at the moment Gladio didn’t care.  He just wanted to hold Ignis,  _ love _ Ignis, until his heart gave out and his bones turned to dust.

Far be it for anyone to say Gladio did anything half-assed.

Gladio knew he was still on the bed and he rolled over, fully expecting to be clammy and sticky and rank.

He was none of those things.  Okay, well, his breath wasn’t fresh or anything but he was also… totally clean.  Wiped down. And, he looked down to check, the towel he fell asleep on was gone as well.

Ignis… did Ignis take care of him while he slept?  

It was then that Gladio heard a murmur from the kitchen.  There was a tinny noise and with a start Gladio realized that Ignis was hadn’t left.  He was in the kitchen and, for some reason, on the phone. Gladio sat up and gave himself a minute to catch his breath and steady his spinning head.  He wasn’t intending to eavesdrop but he was also hoping the bed wouldn’t creak when he got up.

“Apologies, Noct, but tomorrow I would like to take a personal day.  Yes, I know. Yes. No, he’s busy as well.” Gladio could only hear one side of the conversation but he heard Noct’s thoughts by virtue of simply knowing the kid.

“My gratitude to the both of you.  I shall be ready and at my post in two days hence.” Ignis said his goodbyes and turned to face Gladio who was standing in the entrance.

And also, Gladio now noticed with an ounce of embarrassment, he was still naked.  The contrast was striking because Ignis was fully clothed. He looked like he’d just come in from work.  The only thing that seemed different was that Ignis’s collarbone was on full display meaning he’d popped a button or two since Gladio had seen him last.

Hells, even his pants only had an extra wrinkle or two. Nothing to suggest he’d behaved lewdly or, you know, eaten Gladio out to within an inch of his life.

Then again, Ignis had just made Gladio come harder than a pornstar in a gangbang so, really, what was shame?  Gladio stood up a little straighter. He had a good body and he knew it. Ignis obviously appreciated it too. He could rock this look just as well as any other.

“Good evening.” Ignis said cordially, with only a hint of apprehension.  Was he shy? “Would you like a refreshment?”

“Iggy.” Gladio said, crossing his arms and looking amused. “Don’t be so distant. Come here.”

Ignis carefully placed his phone on the table and came closer.  Yeah, he was definitely hesitant about something. But Gladio could pry the truth from him later.  When Ignis was close enough to touch Gladio grabbed him and pulled him in close. Taking a deep breath of Ignis’s shampoo, he tilted his head and claimed Ignis’s lips in a passionate kiss.  The two men melted together like they were two parts of a whole.

Ignis tasted like mint.  Gladio loved mint. Still, the kiss was relatively clean and Gladio let Ignis pull back when he needed to take a breath.

“You weren’t there when I woke up.” Gladio said accusingly, his face betraying that he wasn’t upset in the slightest.

“Forgive me, I needed to call in a favour.” Ignis said, his voice strong and confident once more.  Perhaps Gladio’s desire for him outside of sex was actually beginning to become a reality in his mind as well as Gladio’s own.  “You and I have a day free of work tomorrow.”

“Do we now?” Gladio mumbled into Ignis’s hair.  “However shall we pass the time?” 

“It’s beyond me.” Ignis answered as he pulled back and gave Gladio a good once-over.  “Although I do pay rent for a reason, perhaps I should head home one of these days.”

Gladio blinked. “Just how often do you stay here? I was under the impression that it was only when you were too tired to drive all the way home?”  Gladio was feeling protective again. He couldn’t help it, his heart was too big and Ignis fit inside just right. “Not that I’d complain if you lived here 24/7.” Shit, that almost sounded like a confession, didn’t it?  Maybe he needed more sleep. If there was one thing Ignis  _ didn’t _ need to hear it was and ‘I love you’ after sex.

And yet that’s all Gladio wanted to do. Shout it out to the heavens, scream it from the top of the Rock of Ravatogh.  

Man, when he fell, he fell  _ hard. _

“I stay here as often as I can.  It’s not my home but it… helps me relax.” Ignis said and then looked away, embarrassed, as if he didn’t want to explain anything more.

Seeking to relieve the tension, Gladio teased, “Relax, huh? I’m honoured that you think this place is anywhere near as comfortable as your home.  I’m only sorry that I didn’t have the foresight to get you your own set of sheets. I know you can be pretty particular about certain things.”

Ignis’s eyes widened. “Please do not trouble yourself, there is nothing I wish to change in your home.”

“Pfft, don’t say that, Iggy.  You have your own key and I’m barely here - it’s as much your place now as it is mine.”

“That’s very kind of you. And, since you have already put the idea out there, I do have one request.  A simple request.”

Gladio perked up.  Something Ignis  _ actually _ wanted? Actually would admit to wanting?  Would wonders never cease.

“Shoot, I’ll do whatever as long as it doesn’t break the bank.” Gladio crossed his arms and smiled.  “Keep in mind that the bank is nigh indestructible so do your worst.”

Ignis smiled, a shy thing that seemed very much unlike the Ignis that Gladio had come to know and lo--... come to know these past few weeks.  It was like a completely different side to him. Gladio had met confident, bossy Ignis. He knew studious and analytical Ignis. He feared the day he’d meet a furious Ignis.  But this, this shy, delicate version… Gladio liked it just as much as all the others.

“Please, if you will, change anything you’d like but… the sheets. I request that, aside from regular washings which you really should be doing without my say-so, you don’t change the bedding.”

Gladio mouth fell open gently in confusion before he nodded slowly. “Sure, not a problem. Kind of a weird thing to ask but definitely easy to do.  Can I ask why? It’s not something creepy like you’re making a voodoo doll from my hair, right?” Laughter from both sides on that one.

“In all honesty… your bed smells like you.  And I like it. Even when you’re not with me it feels like we’re together.”

“Aww shit, Iggy, you’re going to make me blush.  Don’t say shit like that...” There it was, the defense mechanism which had taken Gladio out of just as many fights as it put him into.  Not everyone appreciated jokes being made during what amounted to be a confession or admission of affection. Or love.

Ignis’s eyes narrowed and his mouth curved into a cat-like smile.  It was like night and day, innocent to sinful.

“My dear Gladiolus, it is my full intent to make you do much more than just blush.” Ignis’s voice lowered and Gladio couldn’t help himself, the sound just shot straight to his groin.  There may have been a bit of a moan. “If I haven’t exhausted you already.”

Gladio paused like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  “Promise?”

Ignis’s fingers moved down to fondle a button before replied lustfully. “Have I ever let you down?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sings* One more chapter left~ 
> 
> It's been a journey, guys, a damn journey! We're almost home!
> 
> Also the next chapter will take place... um... I'm playing with about 6 months after this chapter? So while I know what I want to start with, the middle and end are still kind of a mystery. Because of this I am asking that if anyone has any 'requests' to please drop me a line on tumblr! I don't know what I'll be going with BUT you never know if YOUR idea might just be the one I need! I'm porcelainlovebug, by the way. I would link but... I may be crazy but I've noticed that since I took the hyperlink to my tumblr down I get fewer pornbots trying to talk to me? I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong.
> 
> I'm also ALWAYS online so... :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the end! Took me long enough, right? I'm so sorry!
> 
> I haven't reread my entire fic so there may be some inconsistencies here and there (I hope not but...) nonetheless I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

Life was good.

It had been six months since Gladio’s plan had come into effect and Clover and her employees had moved into the safer employ of the Crown.  In compliance with Cor’s strict observance of the rules, any employee not officially licensed as a massage therapist required said training.

Whether or not Gladio liked the staff at the Garden, the bosses weren’t taking any chances vis a vis injuries or malpractice.  Thankfully for the people who didn’t have their license yet, it only took them a few extra months of classes to get their certificates (they were fast tracked because of the experience they already held).  Gladio was included in that, of course, but as he entered with different skills gathered from his day job, the instructors only gave him a crash course in some of the less hands-on material.

What helped even more was that the King had, upon finding out that many of the women working had children, set up a daycare centre just for them.  It was mainly run by grandmothers and volunteers who had time to spare, but background checks had been passed and children were well taken care of.  

There were the occasional day trips to local retirement homes that brought joy to all parties involved.  Because of the on-going war, a lot of the kids didn’t have grandparents anymore so many an elderly couple was essentially adopted by the overzealous toddlers.

Insomnia truly was an equal opportunity city.

There was a strict ‘no fraternization’ policy between the massage therapists and their clients which Gladio both understood and sympathized with.  It was clear there was something special between a pair here or there. Gladio kept his knowledge of Cor and his interest as close to his heart as he could - the Immortal didn’t trust just anyone.  Maybe one day something would come of that.

Noct and Prompto appeared every once in a while to take advantage of the new services available.  A deal had been brokered between Clover (her boss, at least) and Gladio’s father that enabled members of King Regis’s house to use the therapy rooms for a heavy discount while everyone else paid a modest fee.  The explanation was that it was in appreciation for all the Crown had done for the staff.

It was very generous.  Too generous, in fact. To nobody’s great surprise Ignis ensured that every time Noctis tried to take advantage of said service, he paid in full.

Noctis didn’t even grumble.  He knew he was better off than most and both Ignis and King Regis had extolled the virtues of being a contributing member of society.

Gladio worked on occasion. It was easier for him to pop in and take a walk-in or two when he was free because the Garden’s new location was so much more accessible.  But with the rooms as pitch-black as they’d been before, he never knew who he’d be working on. Once he had a client who refused to speak for the whole session aside from a grunt or two to acknowledge Gladio’s requested position changes… 

That, combined with the oddly shaped scars scattered across the man’s back led Gladio to suspect he was helping Drautos.  It was frightening that the man appeared to remain tensed and ready for action throughout the entire session, even though he was undergoing what Gladio personally thought would have felt amazing. Maybe he just preferred a woman’s touch?

Gladio was enjoying his days at home.  He lived at his apartment more often than not, only returning to the mansion on weekends if Iris wanted to hang out.  Ignis would usually spend a few nights a week with him. It was… magical.

Ignis was everything Gladio could have wanted.  He fell in love with Ignis more and more everyday and the only constant dark spot in their relationship was that Gladio was afraid to tell Ignis his true feelings.

But other than that, things were just peachy. Oh, and the sex was phenomenal too.  Ignis was, surprisingly, the kinkier of the two of them. Gladio wondered if all those times Ignis was locked away in meetings taking notes… that he wasn’t focused on work and was instead multitasking.  He could picture it now: left page for work-related things, right for filthy bedroom stuff.

But after their months and months together, Gladio was beginning to feel… antsy.  Like his ‘big secret’ could get out (really, he tried to hide it but Noct kept making weird faces when he saw Ignis and Gladio together which… was awkward) and Gladio really wanted to be the one to confess.  Hearing something like an ‘ _ he loves you’ _ from an outside source was fine in books and movies but this was real life.  Gladio owed it to Ignis to say the words himself.

Which led to their meetup that evening.  Gladio had planned a whopper. He’d been sending innocent yet dirty text messages to Ignis all week.  Things that could easily be misconstrued as playing banter unless you knew that the two of them were actually together.  And they were, in so few words. On their days off they spent as much time with each other as possible.

They’d also had enough private time to tick off almost everything on Gladio’s sex bucket list.

Rimming? Check.

Semi-public bjs (initiated by Gladio?) Check.

Very public handjobs (initiated by Ignis)? Check.

Ignis on top. Ignis underneath. Ignis as the baby spoon. Check, check, check.

Ignis was down with anything Gladio wanted to do and he seemed to love getting fucked.  And giving it right back as hard as he took it (Gladio sent some mental apologies Ignis’s way - he didn’t want to seem crude but what they did sometimes would definitely not be mistaken for ‘making love’).  They did that too, but after a long and frustrating day they both wanted it hard and rough and that wasn’t necessarily Gladio’s interpretation of “loving sexytimes’.

Aside from some lines that neither Gladio or Ignis wanted to cross (mainly involving bodily fluids or positions that could cause undue harm) they’d been very thorough.  

If he was being honest, he actually preferred being on the receiving end.  It was harder to admit, embarrassing at times, which he knew was ridiculous.  But as much as he wanted to ask for Ignis to take him day in and day out, he felt uncomfortable.

Granted Ignis had demanded stranger things (like wanting to play ring toss with doughnuts and Gladio’s dick and  _ then _ blow him) or wanting to wake up with Gladio’s dick in his ass (somnophiliac, who’da thunk?) but… it was a difficult thing to ask.  

Gladio had spent his young life with people assuming he was the alpha male, the top dog, the most dominant piece man in the room at all times.  He didn’t do anything to dissuade said beliefs. He enjoyed showing off his physique, regularly tossing Noct around like a stuffed moogle during training sessions, eating the biggest and juiciest steaks he could find… all that manly as hell shit.  But his first time with Ignis…

It had awakened something in him he’d only dreamt about. Literally, he’d had dreams about being dicked in the ass.  Tons of dreams. Dreams that required liberal application of absorbent material to clean up the resulting messes. But until Ignis paid attention to  _ that _ particular area, Gladio’d just assumed it was something that he was interested in out of morbid curiosity.

Sure Ignis loved having sex and d in b was a major part of that, but Gladio never really considered how much he really wanted it.

Okay, that was a lie.  He’d thought about it a ton.  But until he’d actually experienced it on the reg, he never knew what he was missing when he  _ wasn’t  _ getting it.

Or something like that.  But no, erase those thoughts from existence, that’s not what tonight was about.

Gladio was also nervous for one other reason.  He wanted to prove to Ignis that he wasn’t just all about touching and licking and thrusting.  Although he appreciated all of that just as much. No, he wanted to make it clear that he wanted Ignis because Ignis was a remarkable man and not just… just a fine piece of tail.  He also wanted to see if it was possible to end one date without sex. Idle curiosity.

So after a marvellous day out where the highlight was Gladio taking Ignis to a bookstore specializing in rare and obscure titles (both of them bought more than they should of but  _ no regrets _ ), they went out to a restaurant.  The terrace was the perfect dinner location - they could see the city below and the stars above with no difficulty.  Downstairs was busy as anything but upstairs… the owner knew Gladio quite well and reserved it for just him and Ignis with no second thought.  (Gladio used to babysit, he knew a lot of people from all walks of life and it definitely came in handy when he needed a favour - who could refuse their child’s favourite sitter?)

Bringing Ignis home was easy - Gladio had long ago rented out a parking spot in his building for the occasions when Ignis needed it.  Jenu still gave him the stink eye but Gladio didn’t care anymore. It was easy to forget the small irritations when you had something lovely and sweet to hang onto all through the night.

Which led Gladio to this moment, the one where he was finally going to confess the most important secret of the evening, nay, of his life.  (Dramatic or not, that’s what it felt like). He steeled himself and started to speak… before tripping over his tongue mid-sentence at the look on Ignis face and the mischievous twinkle in his eye.  Ignis’s mouth opened and Gladio’s went momentarily deaf.

What.

Gladio didn’t know if he were thinking or speaking but Ignis repeated himself nonetheless.  There was a significant pause and then--

“You knew?” Gladio said incredulously, maybe a tad louder than intended.

“I didn’t  _ know _ , I suspected.  But I am overjoyed by your admission nonetheless.”

“I… well then.  I’m glad I made it so… obvious.”  Gladio felt a little out of sorts but he tried to brush off the feeling.  

“Not obvious unless you were looking… or hoping.” Ignis was hesitant which Gladio found painfully sweet.  “I’m a fool for you as well.”

“You are?” Gladio asked slowly. This was not going the way had expected, not at all.  “I mean, sure, I know my tongue turns you into a quivering mess but…” 

Ignis rolled his eyes but a smile pulled at his lips.  

“You’re incorrigible. You know that, don’t you?  I also…” He paused to collect his thoughts and seemed to argue with himself for a moment before continuing. “I also… had my thoughts set on how to make this night something you’d never forget but you’ve beaten me to the punch.  Not that I’d ever expect less than maximum effort from you.”

“So you know everything about me, huh? I can’t surprise you anymore?”

“I like it when you try.” Ignis admitted. “But I am the strategist, it’s unfair to compare yourself to me.”

Gladio was going to argue until realized something. Based on past experience (many of their dates had ended with sex) it stood to reason that Ignis… assumed he knew what was going to happen.  

But he really didn’t. 

Gladio had planned a romantic evening, sure, but there was nothing sexual on the table.  He knew Ignis didn’t think he was just after lovin’ it up every possible second but sometimes Gladio just wanted to talk or maybe watch a movie.  At least for part of the night, anyway. So, no, no. Tonight was about making Ignis feel good but nothing  _ more _ .  No junk touching of any kind was to take place.  Well, intentionally anyway. 

“Maybe I’ve got more tricks up my sleeve then you think.   _ Maybe _ I can surprise you in other ways, despite your  _ thinking _ that you know me so well.” Gladio said instead, shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.  Let Ignis think he’s won, lull him into a false sense of security. 

Gladio’s inner drama-queen was cackling like that evil sea witch in Iris’s old movies.

Ignis looked affronted.  “That has never, and will never, happen.” He sounded so sure of himself.  Gladio thought it made what was coming all the more thrilling.

“Then I guess you won’t mind climbing onto the bed and covering your face with this washcloth?  I mean, if you’re so much smarter than me you can handle anything I’ve got coming your way. Right?”  Oh yeah, Gladio could see the wheels turning. On the one hand Ignis could refuse Gladio’s request and ‘lose’ by default.  On the other, if Ignis was actually surprised Gladio would win and probably gloat a little bit.

Either way, Gladio got what he wanted.  

But something still bothered Gladio.  Ignis supposedly wasn’t shocked in the slightest that Gladio loved him, fine, whatever.  More to the point… Ignis hadn’t said it back. Sure, with him saying he’d ‘hoped’ and he’d insinuated… and there were all those times over the past few months where he’d had that look in his eyes… 

Gladio knew - or he thought he knew - that Ignis felt the same way.  Maybe he didn’t need to hear it. Was it childish that he wanted to? Should he just get on with things and not let his fears control him?

Yes.

Leave it alone, come back to it later.  You know,  _ you know _ how Ignis feels even if he’s too stubborn (or preoccupied, or thinks he’s made it clear or  _ whatever _ ) so let it be and do your thing.

“I accept.” Ignis said solemnly and began to climb onto the bed.  

Shit, there was something missing. “Ignis stop, wait, hold up a sec!” Gladio yelled as he dashed into the bathroom to gather the supplies he’d prepared for the evening.  He returned with a towel and a tiny drawstring bag. Ignis’s brow creased in suspicion at Gladio fluffed out the towel and lay it across the bed, a mirror image of what Ignis done all those months ago.  Hells, Gladio had even gone above and beyond and searched high and low for that same towel Ignis had used. And he  _ knew _ Ignis noticed.

It took him seven stores, many inquisitive salespeople, and more money than a towel  _ should _ have cost, but Gladio got it.  Even Gladio was proud of himself for that one, especially since he’d only seen the towel for a short length of time - long enough to memorize the pattern and thread count.  Yeah, his attention to detail was god-like.

“Okay, go for it.” 

Ignis completed his climb and picked up the green cloth that Gladio had actually remembered to leave on the pillow.  It was large enough for Ignis to be temporarily blinded but not so big as to cover his mouth.  And the fabric was light so it wouldn't be a burden _and_ Gladio had spritzed it with some lavender aromatherapy oil that guaranteed relaxation.  Gladio had sprayed some on his wrist that morning and  _man_ , that salesperson was amazing.  He could feel the tension oozing out of his body with minutes.

(Maybe he should buy one for Cor?)

“I know I can’t surprise you so I’m sure you know what’s coming.”  And Gladio was sure Ignis probably thought he did. Towel on the bed, same pose (more or less) that he’d had Gladio in, new minted massage therapist at the ready… Gladio could see Ignis’s demeanor change as he relaxed into what he assumed would be a spirited massage followed by something much more vigorous.

Well, he was partially right.  

“You let me know if I make you uncomfortable. 

“I understand.”

“Just in case, what’s your safeword?”  Oh yeah, Gladio was having a grand old time with this.  It was hard to even ask the question with a straight face - thank the Gods Ignis couldn’t see his expression.

Gladio could feel Ignis’s suspicion and amusement.  “I hardly think--”

“Iggy, if you want me to stop…” 

“Marshal.”

Gladio made a face. Yeah, that’d knock him out of the moment for sure, if it came to that.  Cover every angle, as it were. 

He could see Ignis’s body shake in silent laughter.  Mmhmm, oh yeah, Ignis was going to pay for that. And an Amicitia always kept their promise.

Tossing the bag in his hand onto the bed where it couldn’t be knocked away by accident, Gladio threw one leg over Ignis’s hips and knelt astride Ignis.  He rubbed his hands together to warm them up and passed his index finger gently across Ignis’s lips. A quick flash of red darted out, chasing the path Gladio had made.  Gladio groaned, an expression of utter agony at Ignis's teasing.

Not shamed one bit, Ignis released a brilliant smile which warmed Gladio’s heart.

Gladio began to unbutton Ignis’s shirt, making his way slowly, taking his time.  He didn’t tease, didn’t even linger. He wanted Ignis to think… well, whatever Ignis  _ was _ thinking.  

“I seem to recall,” Gladio murmured as he rubbed his hands together to warm the oil that he’d just squirted into them, “That you were rather ticklish?”  Innocent voice, innocent expression.

“Don’t you  _ dare _ .” Came the threat from below.  It just made Gladio even more determined.

“I’m not going to tickle you, I just like seeing you squirm.  But I do want to see if more pressure might make things feel better.  No feathery touches here, just a firm and strong grip.” He moved further up Ignis’s body and ran his mouth from nipple to hip.  Then he did the same to the other side.

When Gladio sat back up to admire his work (there were the beginnings of beard burn tracks scattered across Ignis’s body now) Ignis snorted and thrust his hips up minutely.

“If you’re looking for an itch to scratch, I can suggest a good point of contact.”

“No thanks, I’m good.”  Gladio hummed and smirked when he saw how excited Ignis was already getting.  His nipples were hard and there was something semi-firm pressing into his underside.  “Now shush and let daddy make you feel good.”

There was silence and then a huff of laughter.  “Daddy?”

Gladio was already grimacing.  “Yeah, yeah, I regretted it immediately.  Don’t tell anyone, yeah? If Noct found out I’d never hear the end of it… or be able to look my pops in the face.”

“My lips are sealed.” Ignis replied but Gladio could see slight movement from underneath the cloth.  Ignis lips were most definitely not sealed.

Gladio couldn’t resist.  He paused his ministrations for the moment and gently lifted the washcloth off of Ignis’s lower face before pressing a kiss to Ignis’s welcoming lips.  When he pulled back, biting at Ignis’s lower lip as he went, he was pleased to see how plump and kiss-swollen they were.

Ignis was tough as nails but he bruised like a peach.  They’d learned that the hard way when Gladio had playfully sucked at the edge of Ignis’s jawline and left a bright pink mark.  Ignis was… not amused. In retaliation Ignis had covered Gladio’s torso with the same passionate kisses that Gladio had imparted and left him looking like a well-loved lady of the night rather than a tough Shield of the King.

Gladio couldn’t bathe in the communal showers for a week.  He steered clear of Ignis’s jaw for the next month.

“I love you.” Gladio said truthfully, unable to contain himself anymore.  And since the secret (that wasn’t so secret) was out, he didn’t have to.

“I know.” Ignis quipped.  Damn Prompto for having that Star Wars night, he should have known Ignis would be all for quoting movies without end.

Falling into his work routine (the massage work, not the physically exhausting one) Gladio began to work Ignis’s body to the full extent of his abilities.  From chest to hips to toes, to flipping Ignis over and working hard on his back and ass (Gladio couldn’t help cupping those firm cheeks and jiggling them a bit - he wasn’t  _ that _ strong).  He made sure Ignis was as relaxed and soothed as he could possibly be.  And the groans and moans of appreciation were music to his ears. He could practically hear the tension melting away as he kneaded.

It took a while for Ignis to realize there was nothing untoward going to happen but when he figured it out he began to relax even further.  His dick stayed in that semi-hard state for the entire process to the point where Gladio wasn’t sure if the twitches he made when a sore muscle was attacked was Ignis in pain or simply needing to rut into the sheets.

The final step was Ignis’s face.  He spent almost all day, everyday, concentrating so hard that it was no wonder his expression hadn’t become permanently serious.  Gladio made sure to go a little more gently as he touched temples, brows, sinuses and even pulled at Ignis’s earlobes.

Hey, it felt good okay?  And held some very overlooked pressure points.

With Ignis’s head in his lap, Gladio could see the peaceful expression begin to form and settle in  for the long haul. It was nice, incredibly nice, to do something for Ignis that he  _ knew _ the adviser needed but wouldn’t ask for.  And, in a way, it was Gladio’s way of paying him back for their first time together when he’d run out after freaking out over Ignis’s erection.

Oh, how times had changed.

When Gladio was finally finished he reckoned it had probably been at least two hours.  Ignis was about a minute or two away from dreamland. But… Gladio just needed to ask something important.  He couldn’t help himself.

“How do you feel?”  Okay, he’d ask in a second - he needed to make sure that his technique hadn’t gone to shit in the past week or so without proper practice.

“I could die at any minute and yet be completely satisfied.”  Ignis’s voice was soft and sleep-drunk. It almost hurt Gladio to know that his questions would wake Ignis up.

“I take it you have no complaints?  I know you assumed I was going to do something dirty but… maybe this is even better.”

“Complaints?” Ignis curled like a cat and stretched, a satisfied murmur escaping his lips. “No, no complaints.  And as to my assumptions, well, the night is still young. There is plenty of time for physical contact before sleep calls.”  

“You look plenty content.  Sleep might come a-callin’ sooner than you expect.”

“You’ve got me figured out, Gladio. I do so love your fingers.”

Gladio knew he should leave it alone, especially with Ignis peacing out, but...

“Is that all you love?” Gladio challenged, uncommonly bold but desperately needing an answer.  He knew he was being too blunt but he just couldn’t himself back any longer.

Ignis froze, a slow exhale of breath the only sound in the room.  It took a moment or two of him blinking and rubbing his eyes before he finally sat up and turned to face Gladio.

“What are you asking, exactly?” Inoffensive tone, nothing but honest curiosity.  Shit, Gladio really should have let sleeping dogs lie.

“I… I just... “ Gladio stuttered.  “I just need, no, I want to know… how you feel?” It sounded lame. It  _ was _ lame.  But there Ignis was not even caring about it, just looking spectacularly concerned with an unreadable yet intense expression on his face.

“You honestly believe,” he began in a voice that would allow no interruption, “That after all this time, I haven’t fallen totally and completely in love with you?”

Gladio’s mouth hung open dumbly.  He had hoped, dreamed… wished to hear those words but they still sounded too good to be true.  His brow furrowed and he could see Ignis’s smile falter slightly at the motion.

“Gladio, are you serious?”

“About you, yes.  About your words… I don’t know.” Gladio replied honestly. “You’ve never said anything…”

“I…” Now Ignis looked at a loss for words, a first time for everything it seemed. “I thought it was indisputable.”

Gladio shrugged, uncomfortable at Ignis’s reaction.  He wasn’t an idiot, Ignis hadn’t  _ said _ a damn thing. Sure he acted sweet and kind (and filthy and  _ bad _ when the occasion called for it) but there was a difference between actions and speech.  

He knew Iris loved him even though she shied away from saying the words.  He knew his father did as well, but those were family members… different altogether.  It was hard to imagine that Ignis Scientia, the man who could literally recite the dictionary from memory, not using his words when they were needed most.

Ignis took Gladio’s hands in his and stared as he traced the rougher palms with his fingertips.  He began to speak slowly.

“I say  _ I love you _ every day in so,  _ so  _ many ways.  When I kiss your cheek, when I hug you although you’re fast asleep, when I wake up and see you staring at me through sleep-fogged eyes.  When I say thank you, or hello, or even just smile at you from across the room… I’m saying how much I love you, even when words seem insufficient.”

There was a significant pause as Gladio collected his thoughts and tried to say something that didn’t sound stupid.  He knew his mental self was jumping for joy but honestly? He was a little shell-shocked and just reacted instinctively.  Which meant a lot of slow blinking and gaping like one of those fish Noct went after in his spare time.

Gladio liked to think he looked better than a dying fish and _ much better _ than Noct impersonating said soon-to-be-dinner.  He also realized he’d actually been quiet for for too long and Ignis was looking… well, there was this crease in his forehead that hadn’t been there before.  That only happened when Ignis was really concerned or... hurt. Gladio never wanted Ignis to feel like that while looking at him. He had to fix this.

“I--I… feel like an idiot.”  Yeah, Gladio,  _ great start, fucktard _ .  “And here I thought you being the first person I thought about when I woke up was romantic as shit.  You’ve beaten me without even trying.”

Ignis perked up a bit when it was clear Gladio was just tongue-tied and not… anything more negative than that.

“I haven’t. Telling me I’m at the forefront of your mind is vastly superior to anything I’ve previously mentioned.”  

“Is not.” Gladio fought the urge to stick out his tongue.  It’d probably give Ignis ideas anyway. “And I’m a dumbass.”

“You’re anything but, Gladio.” Ignis rebuffed softly and finally looked up.  “Verbose as I am, I still believe that actions speak louder than words. Sometimes I forget that not everyone follows the same approach that I do.”

Gladio thought back on everything that he’d felt silly for noticing at the same. Things that he never saw Ignis do to anyone but him.  He remembered…

Ignis watching him eat with a fond smile set on his face (as Gladio gobbled his food with a hunger akin to a starving dog).

Ignis adjusting the collar of his jacket even though no one would notice if it was crooked and heck, didn’t it contribute to his debonair persona?

Ignis joining Gladio for a drink at that little coffee place even though they both knew he had to go home that night but they just needed to see each other - even if it was only for ten minutes.

Ignis letting Gladio be the small spoon when he’d had a rough day, whispering meaningless nothings against his temple as he…

_ Fuck _ , he really was blind. It was all  _ right there _ , all he had to do was look.  And listen.

“Ignis, I--”

“I know, I should have said the words.” Ignis was misunderstanding, Gladio should have been the one apologizing. “But I’ll say them now.  Gladiolus Amicitia, I love you - truly, madly, deeply. And although you’ve been clear with your feelings since day one, if you would do me the--”

“I love you.” Gladio interrupted without shame.  “I’m a moron. I love you, you love me,  _ fuck _ , I’m sorry I made such a big deal about it.  If you keep going you’re going to make me blush and that hasn’t happened since… well, since I accidentally copped a feel all those months ago.”

“You’re no moron.” Ignis said encouragingly.  “Your fight or flight sense might be a tad off-balance but I can work with that.  Besides which, I would prefer you verbalize your problems. Assumptions can lead to poor communication and as I’ve spent more of my life thus far taking care of Noctis and leading him without necessarily being required to explain myself… I’ve fallen into some bad habits myself.  I promise to do better if you do.”

“Sure, hells, I’m not the best at talking about my feelings or what’s bothering me either but… I’ll do my best.  And--” Gladio blanched before relaxing and letting loose a tiny chuckle.

“What is it?” Ignis asked suspiciously.

“Nothing, just… oh man, nothing major this just reminds me of something I said about you once.   _ Ignis’s so uptight, someone should take the stick out of his butt for him _ .”

“Impolite.”

“Sure.” Gladio agreed readily.  “But I obviously got it wrong. I was pretty rigid in how I viewed you before… everything, and it was also keeping me from seeing the bigger picture.  I always knew something I said would come back to bite me in the ass one day.”

“You sound irked.”

“What?”

Ignis faked a pout.  “I thought you liked getting bitten  _ down there _ .”

Gladio blinked.  “You know I was being metaphorical, Iggy.”

“I did.” Ignis began with a devilish smile on his face. “Seems to me that with your eyes having been opened and your head removed from a dark and lonely place, that it’s in dire need of something more satisfying.”

“My head?”

“No.”  There was a pause.  “Although I can fill both in one fell swoop if you’d have me. I am monumentally talented, after all.”

Gladio was about to ask what the hells Ignis was on about until it hit him.  Head. Ass. Filling. Oh. 

Ohhhhh.

Yesplease.  How did he always know what to say?

“Is that your roundabout way asking to fuck me?”

Ignis grimaced at Gladio’s words but nodded nonetheless. “Rather crude, but accurate.  I’ve a great many holes to fill and only so much time.”

“Holes.  Filling. I honestly can’t tell if you’re trying to tell me you need to talk or we need to fuck.”

“Both are on the table.  Which would you prefer?”

Gladio looked down at their still linked hands and back up into Ignis’s eyes.  He leaned forward and bumped his nose against Ignis’s hairline, giving him a tiny peck between his perfectly maintained eyebrows.

He loved this man, this ridiculously obstinate, overly complicated, perfectly capable of doing untold destruction  _ man _ and he couldn’t even express how much Ignis meant to him.

“Yeah, both works for me.”

But where words failed, actions would prevail.

“Fuck!” Gladio had almost forgotten like the dipshit he sometimes was. “I have something for you!”

Eyebrow raised, Ignis watched as Gladio scrambled around the sheets to find the bag he’d tossed there earlier.  Gladio was embarrassed for two reasons. One, his ass was in the air as he searched and he could  _ feel _ Ignis caressing it with his eyes.  Two, this was something he’d had in the works and he’d almost forgotten… Not to mention it seemed like that evening would conclude with sex.  But somehow, even after all his concerns from earlier, Gladio knew there was nothing wrong with that.

“Here.” Gladio said as he finally got his hand on the item he was searching for.  It was the little velvet pouch. There was a jingle as he handed it over to Ignis and waited with baited breath as the bag was opened and what was inside was deposited into an open palm.

It was a necklace, as similar to Gladio’s as he could find.

Before Ignis could speak, Gladio rushed to explain.

“I know you already have a necklace and I know you’re probably going to think this is super stupid after all this time but… I’d like to make what we have official.”

“Official?”

“Yeah.  I mean, I know most of the Citadel probably knows we’re together, it’s not like getting caught that one time in the changing room wouldn’t have made the gossip rounds by now… but I want your permission to actually call you my,” Gladio paused, bit his lip and continued.  “ _ Boyfriend _ .”

Ignis was silent as he looked at Gladio like he was trying to determine whether this was an elaborate joke or not.  Finally, after what seemed to Gladio like eternity, Ignis moved. His hands went to the back of his neck and with a slight  _ click _ he unhooked his ever-present accessory, tucked it away inside the velvet bag, and put Gladio’s gift around his neck.

Gladio knew that was a good sign but he still wanted to hear the words.  Dammit it all, he wanted to hear everything Ignis had to say for forever.

“You know if this doesn’t work out we’ll still have to work together every single day.”

“I know.” Gladio wouldn’t be dissuaded.  “I have faith.”

“By now your father as well as Noct’s knows everything about us.”

“...I know.”

“There are so many ways this could go poorly.”

“Iggy, if you’re trying to turn me off it’s not going to work. I’ve thought about this for a while.  I want to invite you to our family dinners. I want to introduce you to my sister as my boyfriend and not just ‘Ignis, a coworker’.  I want to go out in public with you without having to worry that it may impact our relationships with others. I’ve considered every possible bad outcome and I’m still cool with everything. I want to try.”

Ignis wrinkled his nose.  “You’re  _ cool _ with it? How romantic.”

Gladio laughed. “Shut it, you know what I mean.  Date me?”

Ignis’s fingered the pendant resting against his chest and looked down before mumbling something under his breath.  He still wouldn’t look Gladio in the eyes.

“What was that? Ignis, I’m dying here - would you give me an answer at least?”

“I would love to be your boyfriend.”  Ignis hesitated. “However…”

Gladio’s blood froze in his veins. “However?”

“ _ However _ I’m not a cheap date.  I expect to be wined and dined if you wish to lay with me.” Ignis’s smile was pure and full of joy, his joking words reverberating in Gladio’s skull.

“You’re lucky I’m rich.  I could buy you the moon.”

“Oh, I hardly think that’s necessary.  I’d settle for your heart.”

“You already have it.”

“Then it’s decided.” Ignis heaved a heavy (and obviously fake) sigh. “I  _ suppose _ I could do you the honor…”

“Fuck, Iggy, you’re the absolute worst and absolute best wrapped in one tight package, you know that right?”

Ignis chuckled.  “Packages are meant to be unwrapped.   _ My boyfriend _ deserves something in return for this charming gift, wouldn’t you agree?”

“ _ Astrals above _ , you’re outrageous.” Gladio answered, shaking his head in semi-exasperation..

“Only with you.”  Ignis stretched forward and pulled Gladio towards him.  “I am, however, looking forward to ‘meeting the family’ in a different capacity than I have in the past.  I hope you know I plan to embarrass you at every possible instance.”

“You’ll have competition from my father.  Bring it, Iggy.”

The kiss was sweeter than Gladio could have hoped for.  The fingers tugging at his waistline were less so, but he’d accept filthy just as fast.

“No matter what the future may bring, I know my feelings for you will never change.” Ignis’s hands stilled at Gladio’s words.

“ _ Add  _ ‘unrepentant charmer’ to the list of things I’ve learned about you in recent months.  How could I have resisted for so long?” One of Ignis’s hands slipped further into Gladio’s boxers and squeezed his ass while the other came up to caress his neck.  It was like being tempted by an angel and a devil at the same time.

“You’re made of stronger stuff than me, that’s for sure.”  Gladio smiled into Ignis’s hair, ignoring the gelled spikes threatening to coax a sneeze out of him. 

“Don’t fret, Gladio.” Ignis whispered lustily into Gladio’s ear. “I’ll share.  A little bit of me in  _ you _ , how does that sound?”

Gladio was the luckiest man in existence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me until the very end. I'm so proud of myself for actually finishing something that wasn't a one-shot! I'm really bad at long stories because I lose interest a lot but thankfully I had some very lovely people on tumblr cheering me on every step of the way. <3
> 
> ALSO I am sorry if my English seems a tad simple at times. It's gone to shit in recent months. You can berate me on Tumblr if you want. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has kudos-ed or commented or even just skimmed. You're amazing. xoxo


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